MAGISTRATES in Dorset are less likely to send a woman to prison than courts in most parts of England and Wales, according to new figures.

Courts across the county imposed custodial sentences in less than one in ten cases heard in 2011 – one of the lowest in the country.

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, welcomed the statistics. She said: “Women who find themselves in court often need a lot of support. They are often victims of crime themselves such as domestic violence and pimping. Sending these women to prison for a few weeks is not the answer.”

The rate of imprisonment for women has risen in neighbouring Hampshire with 1.9 per cent sent immediately to custody.

The maximum sentence magistrates can impose is a six-month prison term, or up to 12 months in total, for more than one offence.