logo
welcome
BBC UK

BBC UK

Prison isn't working for women, ministers say. Can it be fixed?

BBC UK
Summary
Nutrition label

76% Informative

There are more than 3,600 woman prisoners in England and Wales - a number the Ministry of Justice projects will rise to 4,200 by November 2027 .

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood believes âprison isnât working for women.

She told the Labour Party conference that after serving a short custodial sentence, a woman is âsignificantly more likely to reoffend than one given a non-custodial sentence.

There must be a gender-specific approach to criminal justice, as women end up in prison because of things that are gender specific in society.

Locking up non-violent and non-prolific women is not the only solution.

Prisoners are being sent to prison essentially as a punishment for being poor and falling into debt - they are the shock absorbers of poverty.

Some need to be dealt with securely, but we need to address issues in the community.

Problem-solving courts are being trialled, looking at how to reduce reoffending.

If we could get this right for women, we could bring in some of the same principles to the men's estate.