The prisons minister has said he wants to reverse the rise in number of women prisoners and close a women’s prison.
Speaking to the Guardian, James Timpson said at least one of the women’s prisons on the estate could be closed following a process of redirecting women to rehabilitation centres and being tagged in the community. He said: ‘We would like to get to a stage where we can close a women’s prison. There are a number of women that need to be there. They’ve done terrible things, they need to be punished, and that’s the best place for them. But there are far too many women, in my view, who are very ill. There are far too many women who are victims themselves. There are far too many women who are very, very vulnerable. Half are mothers, and the impact on their kids is massive … We need to do things differently.’
According to charity Women in Prison, at the end of last year there were just under 3,500 female offenders in jails in England and Wales. This has been predicted to rise to 4,100 by September 2028 under current measures.
Timpson explained the additional challenges facing women in prison, including the fact that they are often the victims of domestic abuse, or other crimes, before they themselves end up in prison. One in three female prisoners self-harmed over the last year, according to government data released last October.
The Women’s Justice Board, a new government venture under Timpson, will meet for the first time this week.
Sonya Ruparel, Chief Executive of Women in Prison said: ‘The launch of the Women’s Justice Board creates an essential opportunity to address problems in women’s justice that have existed for far too long. It is our hope that the Board has the strategic resources to ensure cross-government support to address the inequalities and harms that push women into criminalisation, such as domestic abuse and mental ill health. As plans emerge of the Board’s strategy later this year, we look forward to understanding more about the plans for delivery, which should include a robust accountability mechanism and clear ring-fenced budget to resource the plans.’