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I think there's a difference between the Oxford medical student and this woman, and that difference is entirely bound up in the strength of mitigation.

The student is apparently a once in a generation talent who faced as a consequence of her offending the ending of a glittering career in public service before it had even begun, with significant adverse consequences not only for her, but for society more widely. Hers could fairly be described as a folly of troubled youth. The offence itself is almost the archetypal moment of madness.

None of these features are shared with Medley, whose offence was the result of careful planning. Yet it is apparently a tragedy.

I would agree though that prison is injurious to almost all who are confined there, regardless of gender. The one and only thing that prison can be said to achieve with absolutely certainty is punishment, and in some cases very limited public protection. None of its other stated aims are met. That's a different kettle of story though.