MORE women are being sent to prison for non-violent offences — despite a government pledge to reduce the female prisoner population, according to the Prison Reform Trust.

The charity’s research has also found that the government is creating 500 more prison places for women in its prisons expansion programme.

It presented evidence today at an inquiry being held by the government’s justice committee on the issue of women in prison.

The trust says more than 5,000 women were sent to prison last year either on remand or to serve a sentence, usually of less than 12 months. Offences included shoplifting — in some cases theft by women in poverty and with children to feed, or women with addiction problems. 

The trust is calling for solutions based on community sentences and support, rather than imprisonment.

In a briefing to the inquiry, the trust said: “A series of inquiries and reports over the last 20 years, as well as the government’s own ‘female offender strategy’ have all concluded that prison is rarely a necessary, appropriate or proportionate response to women who get caught up in the criminal justice system.”

Prison Reform Trust director Peter Dawson said: “The evidence highlighted in our briefing could not be clearer: good reliably funded community provision works better than prison, costs less, and keeps families together.

“Yet the government seems wedded to a costly policy of expanding the women’s prison population in direct contradiction of the evidence and its own female offenders’ strategy. 

"We need investment in a national network of women’s centres, not new prison places.”

The Ministry of Justice has been contacted for comment.