Later, the government was defeated a second time when peers backed a move requiring contracts made with probation trusts to make "appropriate provision forthe delivery of services to female offenders".
The strategy emphasises the need for specialist servicesfor specific groups of women including those with personality disorders, eating disorders, offenders and those with a history of violence and abuse.
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.