ECONOMIST Vicky Pryce, who served a jail sentence for accepting speeding points on behalf of ex-husband Chris Huhne, is to speak at a conference on women in prison.

The former Government advisor, who last year was sentenced to eight months in prison for perverting the course of justice, is to speak at Northumbria University conference tomorrow (THURS).

She will join 120 delegates including former prisoners, prison reform campaigners and criminology experts at the Does Prison Work For Women conference.

The one-day conference that will examine the impact that imprisonment has on women and their families and debate effective alternatives to imprisonment that could help solve the problem of increasing reoffending rates for women.

Louise Ridley, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Northumbria University, said: “Women are mainly imprisoned for low level crimes, such as theft or handling stolen goods, which are often linked to their domestic situation.

“The types of crimes are very different to men’s offending but we know that even short custodial sentences for women leads to immense damage, including loss of home and losing contact with children.

“When men are imprisoned there is often a network of women – mothers, girlfriends, wives – who are caring for their children, paying the bills, and keeping their lives going so that they can more easily slip back into their family life when they are released.

“When women come out of prison they need support to rebuild their lives.”

Helen Attewell, chief executive of charity Nepacs, added: “Prison can be a traumatic and damaging experience for women and their families, with long term impacts on individuals and society.

“The focus needs to move away from locking more women up and move towards tackling the root causes of women’s offending”.