Women’s prisons should close, says justice taskforce

Women should not be sent to prison and should instead serve community sentences, according to a new report by the Women’s Justice Taskforce.

The focus should be on health, housing and treatment for drug addiction to reduce reoffending, its report said.

It called for a director of women’s justice to be appointed to provide “clear leadership and accountability”.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) welcomed the report and said it was carefully considering the recommendations.

The taskforce, formed of senior police officers, magistrates, economists and penal reformers, was set up last year by the Prison Reform Trust.