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The Ministry of Justice is sinking £10million into a Women’s Residential Centre – the first of its kind funded entirely by taxpayers. It will copy proven strategies followed by social enterprises and charities and, if successful, could lead to more centres, prisons minister Victoria Atkins said.

For years, prison reformers have warned locking up women for shoplifting and other petty crimes leads to more offending.

The 12-bed Swansea centre will give intensive help to 50 women a year who have received jail terms of 12 months or less.

It aims to tackle mental health problems and drug addiction that leads to the repeat offending costing taxpayers in England and Wales £18billion a year.

The 12-week course will also include training to boost parenting and job skills, to help break the cycle of crime for good.

Ms Atkins said: “It isn’t replacing prison sentences for serious crimes.

“We want to address the underlying issues behind the women’s behaviour. Sadly, they are very common – domestic abuse and drug addition, for example.We are trying to ensure that when they walk out of the centre, they stand a much greater chance of staying on the straight and narrow.

“I take my hat off to Willowdene and One Small Thing, which have been working in this field for a long time.”

The centre, due to open in 2024, is a key part of the Female Offender Strategy launched in 2018.

Earlier this year, the National Audit Office said its progress had been limited and management and accountability weak.

Prison Reform Trust direc- tor Peter Dawson said: “This can’t become another prison in all but name. But if it helps reduce pointless suffering, it will count as a step in the right direction.”

More than 60 percent of women in custody said they suffered domestic abuse, up to a third had been victims of sexual assault and 50 percent had drug problems. Women at the new centre can come and go, but have a curfew and must attend appointments.

For now, it will serve those from Swansea, but Ms Atkins said: “I have put a rocket booster under this programme.

“We will wait and monitor but if we see good results, for example a drop in reoffending, that will be very persuasive for the future of additional new centres.”

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