The prisons minister has opened the door to allowing criminals to avoid full jail terms under a Spanish-style scheme that could reduce the number of women behind bars.

Although women represent only 7.1% of Spain’s prison population, they face distinct and heightened mental health challenges.

Considered a reference in Europe when it comes to women rights, Spain has for over two decades experimented with coed prisons. There are currently 20 mixed-gender cell blocks in Spain, where 202 women ...

The board will particularly look at early intervention strategies, alternatives to prison such as residential women's centres, and reducing the high-rate of self-harm in women's prisons.

“Why should prison be the only place without mixed spaces?” she wanted to know. Men and women have been cohabiting since 2021 in one wing of the Teixeiro prison near La Coruna in Spain’s ...

Men and women have been cohabiting since 2021 in one wing of the Teixeiro prison near La Coruna in Spain's verdant Galicia region. The aim is to better prepare inmates for their reintegration into ...