A RESIDENTIAL centre for female offenders should be prioritised in Swansea, an MP has said.
Ruth Jones, chairwoman of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee, called on Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Shabana Mahmood, to press ahead with plans set out by the previous Conservative Government for such a facility in Cockett.
The proposed residential centre at the Trehafod building, which is within the grounds of the Cefn Coed Coed Hospital site, would provide support for up to 12 low-level female offenders and be staffed 24/7 by the prison and probation service. Supporters say centres like this are more effective and a cheaper way of reducing re-offending than short prison sentences.
But the plans to convert and extend the Trehafod building into a new centre led to 215 letters of objection and were turned down by the council’s planning committee in 2022 against advice from officers.
The Ministry of Justice successfully appealed the refusal decision and, speaking in August 2023, it said it planned to open the centre in 2024. This didn’t happen, and a new Labour Government came to power at last July’s general election.
Last week an independent sentencing review commissioned by the Labour Government said, among other things, that more sustainable and long-term funding should be made available for women’s centres. These centres, it said, played a “critical role” in offering valuable practical and emotional help.
Newport West and Islwyn Labour MP Ms Jones, whose committee is holding an inquiry into prisons, probation and rehabilitation in Wales, cited the review’s findings in her letter to Ms Mahmood.
“The lack of a women’s prison in Wales means that Welsh female offenders are often held in prisons that are a significant distance from their family, friends, and the support services they will need to engage with once they return to their communities,” said the letter.
“My committee calls on the UK Government to accept the review’s recommendations relating to the adequate funding of women’s centres across England and Wales, and to prioritise getting the Swansea site operational as soon as possible.”
The Ministry of Justice said Ms Mahmood welcomed the independent sentencing review’s findings on female offenders and had established a women’s justice board to reduce the number of women in prison.
Asked by the Local Democracy Reporting Service if the planned residential centre in Cockett would open and if so roughly when, the Ministry of Justice said it was considering next steps. A spokesman said: “The prison system this government inherited is not working for most women. The (women’s justice) board will publish a strategy document in due course, looking at options to better support women in the community and cut re-offending.”
