Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women were sent to immediate custody from the (a) the Crown Court and (b) magistrates' courts for sentences (i) below 6 months and (ii) above 6 months in each police force area in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

The number of custodial sentences issued to female offenders in England and Wales, by court type and police force area from 2012 to 2016, can be viewed in the attached Tables 1 to 5. The data for 2017 will be published on 17 May 2018.

We are committed to doing all we can to address the issues around female offending so we can better protect the public and deliver more effective rehabilitation. That is why we will set out a strategy for female offenders, to improve outcomes and services for women in both the community and custody.