Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to oral evidence provided by officials in his Department to the Public Accounts Committee on 2 February 2022 relating to its inquiry on Improving outcomes for women in the criminal justice system, HC997, Q40, if his Department will publish its assessment on what helps to rehabilitate women.

The Female Offender Strategy recognised in its commitments for Better Custody that if we are to achieve equal outcomes for women, we should adopt a gender-informed approach and an adapted environment, that meets their gender-specific needs.

Our assessment of what rehabilitates women is included in the design principles for the new women’s facilities which are set out in the Prisons Strategy White Paper. These principles were informed by both the Female Offender Strategy and engagement with those with lived experience and our experienced staff in the women’s estate.