The case for abolishing women’s prisons

“Prisons for women don’t work,” Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said as she announced plans to significantly reduce the number of women in prisons in England and Wales. Labor Party conference In September.

The new body of the Women’s Justice Board, created to reduce the number of women in prison, will have “the ultimate goal of having fewer women’s prisons.” Specifically, the panel will consider early intervention strategies, alternatives to prison such as residential women’s centers, and reducing the high rates of self-harm in women’s prisons.