In a letter to the
Secretary of State for Justice, the Welsh Affairs Committee calls
on the UK Government to accept the Independent Sentencing
Review's recommendation to ‘provide more sustainable and
long-term funding to Women's Centres' and to prioritise plans to
open a centre in Swansea.
The Review published today sets out proposals to address prison
and probation challenges and support victims across England and
Wales. Women's Centres are stated to ‘play a critical role in
directing female offenders in the criminal justice system to
valued practical and emotional help'.
Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee, , said:
“Keeping women near to their families and loved ones is vital for
successful rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. Hearing the
firsthand experiences of Welsh female offenders at HMP Eastwood
Park in England made it undoubtedly clear how much a Women's
Centre in Wales could change lives.
The Independent Sentencing Review highlighted the benefits of
providing more sustainable and long-term funding to Women's
Centres. It's high time that Welsh women be afforded equivalent
support within their communities as that provided to their
English counterparts and the Government should move quickly to
open the planned Swansea centre.”
There is currently no women's prison in Wales, meaning Welsh
female offenders are often held in prisons that are a significant
distance from family, friends and community services.
The Committee intends to analyse the report's finding through the
course of its prisons, probation and
rehabilitation inquiry.
