The UK should impose fewer short custodial sentences on women and invest more in community-based alternatives, according to a report by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT).

The CPT also calls for the introduction of more specialised, gender-specific and trauma-informed training for prison officers working with women in prison.

Responding, the government ‘accepts the findings’ and says it has already acted on many of the recommendations.

The CPT’s report on the treatment and conditions of detention of women follows visits to the Eastwood Park and Styal prisons in December 2025. Many inmates were serving short sentences or had been recalled to prison, often for less than a month.

It described such measures as ‘resource-intensive and generally ineffective’, calling instead for ‘effective reintegration measures and efficient social and mental healthcare’.

The delegation found severe staff shortages at both prisons impaired the level of safety, the scheduling of activities and prisoner welfare, and increased lock-up time.

Healthcare was generally of good quality, including the Mother and Baby Units. However, adequate provision of mental healthcare posed a ‘significant challenge’.

‘The CPT’s report has been reviewed carefully and the evidence provided in this response describes the steps and actions being taken by the UK government,’ the Ministry of Justice and HMPPS (with contributions from the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and NHS Wales) said in a 67-page response to the 36-page report.

'In preparing this response, the UK government has sought to address each of the CPT’s points fully while also reflecting, as appropriate, what might be practical and feasible within the current legal, policy and operational framework.’