The number of women in North Wales being sent to prison has soared by nearly 50% in five years.
Official figures show that, between 2010 and 2015, the number of women jailed rose from 74 to 107 - an increase of 45%.
The Wales average over that period rose by just 4%, according to the figures obtained by Delyn MP David Hanson.
The number of women given sentences of less than six months more than doubled in five years, rising from 35 to 75.
It has sparked calls to stop jailing women for less than six months for crimes such as theft and drugs offences.
Campaigners argue prison does nothing to rehabilitate women convicted of petty crimes, which may be caused by mental health problems, addictions or difficult social backgrounds.
They want more use of community orders instead of custody and say that, at the point of arrest, women should be referred to specialist centres like the one in Rhyl to seek help.
The most prevalent crime for which women were jailed over the five-year period was theft, which accounted for 179 crimes and rose from 21 in 2010 to 58 in 2015.
Howard Thomas, a former North Wales chief probation officer, said: “The re-offending rates are high, children are at risk of being taken into care, and studies show that many female offenders have complex backgrounds, poor mental health, addictions and other problems which can never be properly addressed in a prison setting.”
Mr Hanson said: “What is important is reducing reoffending. All evidence shows that this fails when we use short-term sentences for women.
“While women who commit crimes need to be punished for their actions, instead of short term sentences, a community penalty and help will in the long term change behaviour better.”
Dr Thomas Guiney of the Prison Reform Trust said: “The vast majority of women have committed non-violent offences and many are held far from home, causing significant disruption to family life and their chances of rehabilitation.
“We know that most of the solutions to women’s offending lie outside prison walls in effective community approaches that enable women to take control of their lives, care for their children and address the causes of their offending.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “Sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary, who base decisions on the facts of the case.
“Crime is falling and fewer women are entering the justice system accused of serious offences, with the female prison population now consistently under 4,000 for the first time in a decade.”
see-http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/number-north-wales-women-sent-11677299
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