The new Minister for female offenders, Lord McNally, announced the new model, which will see government providing genuine employment opportunities for lower risk offenders, with staff forging close links with local employers, as well as providing practical training so offenders are able to join the workforce on release.
All women's prisons will also become resettlement prisons so offenders serve their sentence as close to home as possible, allowing them to maintain crucial family relationships, especially with children.
Steve Brine, who sits on the Justice Select Committee, said: "These changes sit alongside the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms that will see every offender leaving prison given tailored support for at least 12 months, providing targeted access to programmes that help cut reoffending.
"The reforms will help build on a falling female prison population, down by 10 per cent since 2010, alongside falling crime rates."
Justice Minister Lord McNally said: "When a female offender walks out of the prison gates, I want to make sure she never returns.
"Keeping female prisoners as close as possible to their homes, and importantly their children, is vital if we are to help them break the pernicious cycle of re-offending.
"And providing at least a year of support in the community, alongside the means to find employment on release, will give them the best possible chance to live productive, law abiding lives."
The new approach to tackling female offending is set out in a number of reports published today which recognise the needs of female offenders are different to those of males. Many women who offend are themselves victims of domestic and sexual violence, with 53 per cent reporting childhood abuse; and many struggle with mental health issues with 49 per cent reporting to suffer from anxiety and depression.
Steve Brine continued: "We are also working with the NHS to create four new personality disorder treatment services for female offenders and will be introducing specialist services at HMP Peterborough to deal with female offenders expected to be deported."
Under the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms private and voluntary sector organisations will work together to run 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies to ensure better continuity between custody and the community.
As part of their contract, they will be required to identify and provide services tailored to the needs of female offenders, supporting them through the gate. They will only be paid in full if they are successful at cutting reoffending.
Pictured; Steve Brine questions Justice Secretary Chris Grayling as the JSC tackled Transforming Rehabilitation
More information ...
Transforming Rehabilitation report