Overseas cells ‘should only be for men’
A scheme to rent cells in foreign jails and send UK prisoners abroad to ease overcrowding should only apply to men, according to Labour MP Jess Phillips. She called on the Government to amend its Criminal Justice Bill, to exclude women from the scheme.
Speaking at a Public Bill Committee meeting where MPs were debating details of the proposed measures, Phillips, 42, said: “Data shows that women prisoners are predominantly victims of domestic and sexual violence, which is often a pathway to their offending. Would it not be better to put on the face of the Bill that women are carved out?”
Responding, Justice Minister Laura Farris dismissed the suggestion and said the Bill should grant powers to send both male and female prisoners abroad.
The UK government has opened talks with Estonia, which has 1,000 empty prison places, about the possibility of renting them and filling them with prisoners from England and Wales. An impact assessment by the Ministry of Justice said any such deal could be likely to provide 600 places at a cost of £200 million. The plan has been condemned by bishops, trade unions, and charities.
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