Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood has ‘ultimate ambition’ to close women’s prisons

The justice secretary says she wants to reduce the number of women’s prisons in the country as they are “forcing women into a life of crime”.

Speaking at Labour’s party conference in Liverpool on Tuesday, Shabana Mahmood said that “prison isn’t working” for women, and described the institutions as “desperate places” that are “hurting mothers and breaking homes”.

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To address the issue, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) will set up a new women’s justice board, led by a minister and tasked with “reducing the number of women going to prison, with the ultimate ambition of having fewer women’s prisons”.

It will publish its strategy in spring next year, with its initial focus on diverting women away from the criminal justice system where appropriate and improving community support as an alternative to prison.

Pointing to a review of women and the criminal justice system from when Labour was in power in 2007, Ms Mahmood said: “It was clear then and it’s clear now that if we change how we treat women in prison, we cut crime, we keep families together and we end the harm that passes from one generation to the next.”

There are currently around 3,440 women in prison in England and Wales – up from an average of 3,183 in 2021 – with around two-thirds not having committed a violent crime.

More than half of the prisoners report being victims of domestic abuse, and self-harm in the population is eight times higher than in men’s prisons.

The MoJ also said those serving short custodial sentences were significantly more likely to re-offend compared to those who haven’t been sent to prison.

In her speech, Ms Mahmood also reiterated Labour’s pledge to “rebalance the scales of justice” towards women, including a move to ensure rape victims have an independent legal advocate to support them.

The government hopes the roll-out next year will lower the number of survivors dropping out of rape cases before they go to trial – which currently sits at 60%.