Why is prison being used as last resort in some Greater Manchester cases?

Katie Walsh was handed a probation order as part of the whole system approach

In 2007, a report lifted the lid on the conditions inside women's prisons, triggered after six women at HMP Styal in Cheshire took their own lives within a year.

Since then, in Greater Manchester, more women are being rehabilitated in the community instead of being sent to prison.

This is part of a whole-system approach for female offenders where they are assessed at their first point of contact with the criminal justice system to help them to turn their lives around.

The decision to use prison as a last resort is driven by the fact that 60% of female offenders have been victims of physical or mental abuse, the Ministry of Justice has said.

Katie Walsh had endured years of domestic violence in a relationship when she was arrested.

"I lost everything and ended up being arrested for a drug offence," she said.

"I lost all my children and I ended up on a probation order for 18 months.

"Every day was just terrifying. Every day I just felt so alone.

"I felt like all the systems were against me and I didn't know who turn to."

Greater Manchester is one of the few places in the country that has introduced this wraparound support system in a bid to stop reoffending.

This means that women convicted of a crime can be handed a probation order which includes support from places like the Stockport Women's Centre instead of going to prison.

Data from the Ministry of Justice from January to December 2019

Jayne Covell, a case worker at the centre, said it was about helping women "back into society by offering tailored packages".

The latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show that it is working as the reoffending rate in Greater Manchester is much lower than in other places such as Merseyside, West Midlands and West and South Yorkshire.

Victoria Atkins, minister for prisons and probation, said: "The dramatic decrease in reoffending that we see in Greater Manchester is really a story to celebrate across the country and roll out further beyond Greater Manchester."

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [e-mail]