Recommendation 18

We recommend that the Ministry of Justice and Welsh Government redesign the Female Offending Blueprint for Wales to take account of the policy changes since it was published in 2019, drawing on the recommendations contained within the Women’s Justice Board’s report. Additionally, we recommend that the training for magistrates across England and Wales be enhanced, with a greater emphasis on alternatives to custody, especially in Wales. As part of this training, magistrates should be required to visit women’s prisons in order to better understand the implications of handing down short sentences to women. (Recommendation, Paragraph 69)