Prison isn’t working for women, Labour says, as it unveils plans for alternatives

Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood speaking at the Labour party conference on Tuesday 24 September. She announced the setting up of the Women’s Justice Board to reduce the number of female prisoners. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, has declared that “prison isn’t working” for women as she announced a package of measures to reduce the number of females in the prison estate.

Plans to treat more women in the community, resolve cases involving women before they get to court and drive down the number of young women self-harming will be drawn up by a new body of experts, the justice secretary said in a conference speech on Tuesday.