According to a report by the all party parliamentary group (APPG) on women in the penal system, because of the lack of secure NHS beds to treat women with acute issues, they are being remanded to jail "for their own safety" instead of hospitals.
A survey was done of three women’s prisons where it was found that dozens of cases of women were being remanded to jail.
The APPG have now joined with HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMI Prisons) and the all-party Commons justice committee to ask ministers to repeal the “outdated” power for courts to remand for personal safety.
“These women should not be kept in prison where, out of sight, they exist in an environment that does not begin to address their needs,” said HMI Prisons.
