Plans to set up community prisons for women and to launch a scheme that would provide support for female offenders were supposed to be announced this month. The decision has dismayed prison reform campaigners who have been waiting for several years for the female offenders’ strategy to be implemented. The need for a female offenders’ strategy was raised in the white paper Prison Safety and Reform in 2016 by Liz Truss, the then justice secretary. Asked to explain whether the plans have been suspended, a source close to the department said: “The women offenders’ strategy is being re-examined and improved, hopefully over the summer. These plans will be implemented in the long term.”An MoJ spokesperson said: “The department does not recognise the £30m figure attached to the female offenders’ strategy and will soon be setting out our plans.”

Source: The Guardian May 02, 2018 16:59 UTC