Story perspectives

Record Self-Harm Rates in Women’s Prisons Spark Welsh Reform

12/11/2025

Summary

Story summary

A report by Simon Hattenstone, journalist, highlights a record-high self-harm rate among women in prisons in England and Wales.
Wales lacks its own women's prison, so incarcerated women serve sentences in England, harming their families, especially children.
The Welsh government advocates community-based alternatives, such as residential women’s centres, to address the issue.
However, a Swansea project to create such facilities is delayed, leaving Welsh women separated from their families during their sentences.

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Story summary

A report by Simon Hattenstone, journalist, highlights a record-high self-harm rate among women in prisons in England and Wales.
Wales lacks its own women's prison, so incarcerated women serve sentences in England, harming their families, especially children.
The Welsh government advocates community-based alternatives, such as residential women’s centres, to address the issue.
However, a Swansea project to create such facilities is delayed, leaving Welsh women separated from their families during their sentences.