The government has backtracked on its long-promised plans to build a network of women’s residential centres for those convicted of low-level crimes — seven years after first announcing the scheme.
The centres were intended to provide an alternative to prison, offering rehabilitation and support in a less punitive environment. Planning permission had already been granted for the first centre, a 12-bed unit in Swansea, expected to cost £10 million to build.
However, in a recent exchange in the House of Lords, Prisons Minister Lord Timpson gave no commitment to the project moving forward. When asked about the timetable for opening the Swansea facility — originally set for July 2025 — he described the proposal only as “something that we are considering” and said the government was still awaiting a Treasury decision on funding.
The residential centres were designed to keep women closer to home while receiving targeted support, a stark contrast to current practices.
At present, Wales has no women’s prisons, meaning offenders from the country are routinely sent to facilities in England, often hundreds of miles from their families and support networks. Many are placed in HMP Eastwood Park, a prison with a troubled reputation and limited resources for female offenders.
One Welsh woman, speaking to The View, described the distress of being sent so far away:
“When I see that bridge crossing from Wales to England, my heart sinks. I know that I won’t be going home anytime soon. I don’t even know how I’ll get home when I’m released.”
Campaigners argue that keeping women close to their families is crucial for rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. Without the promised residential centres, many fear that vulnerable women will continue to be trapped in a cycle of imprisonment.
The government first announced the residential centre scheme in 2018 as part of its Female Offender Strategy, recognising that many women end up in prison for non-violent, low-level offences often linked to poverty, coercion, and domestic abuse.
Seven years on, not a single centre has been built. Critics warn that further delays could amount to abandoning the policy altogether, despite overwhelming evidence that community-based alternatives are more effective than short custodial sentences.
With the Swansea project now stalled and no funding guarantee in place, the future of the residential centre network remains uncertain. For many women in Wales, the lack of local provision means continued separation from children, families, and communities — outcomes shown to worsen both mental health and reoffending rates.
Advocates are urging the government to honour its commitments and invest in solutions that prioritise rehabilitation over punishment. Without meaningful action, they warn, the justice system will continue to fail women caught in cycles of trauma and low-level offending.
Do you want me to combine this article with the domestic abuse advocate cuts piece into a single, investigative featureabout how government policy is failing women in prison? That could make it more impactful and suitable for publication.
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