SIX MORE PRISONS TO BE PROVIDED FOR WOMEN

THREE extra jails are to be built to deal with the rising female prison
population, which could reach 5,000 within seven years.

They will be in addition to the conversion by the Prison Service of three
male prisons into premises for women. The disclosure that the number of
places for women is to rise by a third over the next two years came as
penal reformers condemned the "needless" imprisonment of women.

Lord Hurd of Westwell, chairman of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "Women in
prison are people who the system has failed time and time again. Nearly
half of them have been abused, over 40 per cent have self-harmed or
attempted suicide, and 20 per cent have spent time in local authority
care."

A total of 3,349 prisoners were in the 16 women's jails last night, an
increase of 3 per cent in the ten months to the end of last month. The rise
in the male prison population over the same period was 0.3 per cent, to
61,740.

The rise in the number of women being sent to jail shows no sign of slowing
and two sets of population projections estimate it could reach 4,500 or
5,000 by 2007.

The vast majority of women sentenced to imprisonment are convicted of
non-violent offences. At the end of February, 17 per cent of the 2,590
sentenced women had been convicted of violence against the person, 7 per
cent robbery, 6 per cent burglary, 18 per cent theft and handling, 5 per
cent fraud and forgery, 36 per cent drug offences, 2 per cent motoring and
3 per cent other offences.

A report by the Prison Reform Trust calls for the 16 existing women's
prisons to be replaced by a nationwide network of small units where women
could be held nearer their homes.