TOO many vulnerable and mentally unwell women have been sent to jail due to a lack of suitable services in the community, prison inspectors have found.

A new HM Inspectorate of Prisons report on HMP Styal, published today, found that 39 women had been sent to the prison due to their “acute vulnerabilities and the absence of specialised support in the community.”

The need for mental healthcare was evidenced by the fact that 30 women were referred to transfer to hospital under the Mental Health Act, although they faced long delays with one patient waiting more than 100 days.

Self-harm had more than doubled to 5,200 recorded incidents since the prison’s last inspection in 2021, the report found.

Most of the 422 inmates were split into 16 detached houses, but staffing levels were so low that one officer had to supervise up to three houses at a time. 

Sonya Ruparel, chief executive of Women in Prison charity, said it was “highly concerning” to see the numbers of mentally unwell women in custody because of a lack of services in the community.

“Prison is not a substitute for medical, psychological, or psychiatric care, and its use in these cases is unacceptable,” she said.

Andrea Coomber, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “Almost two decades after the Corston Report called for change, we still read of women, who have been let down in the community, being sent to prison to be let down again.

“With self-harm rising in Styal and other jails, the government must deliver quickly on its commitment to reduce the number of women in prison.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “The Lord Chancellor has created a Women’s Justice Board so fewer women end up sent to prison and this report shows how urgent that work is.”

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“Staffing at the prison has now increased and we are investing in safety improvements so that women at HMP/YOI Styal are better supported.”