Later, the government was defeated a second time when peers backed a move requiring contracts made with probation trusts to make "appropriate provision for the delivery of services to female offenders".

BBC: Government suffers two defeats over Crime and Courts Bill

The strategy emphasises the need for specialist services for specific groups of women including those with personality disorders, eating disorders, offenders and those with a history of violence and abuse.

BBC: Depressed women

Professor Sean Duggan, chief executive of the Centre for Mental Health, said that secure mental health services had a vital role to play in rehabilitating offenders with severe mental health problems.

BBC: Patients spend 'too long in secure mental health units'