ABSTRACT

Since 2004, the government in England and Wales has sought to develop what is considered to be a new response to women offenders. The stated objectives are to reduce women’s involvement in crime, and to divert them from prison. In order to understand what has shaped this policy, and to understand its impact on practice, this chapter begins with a brief discussion of how far women’s offending and their involvement in the criminal justice system has changed over the past two decades. It then explores the origins of current government policies on women offenders and considers how far these build on, or diverge from, previous ones. The discussion then moves on to consider what tangible impact these policies have had to date; and what else might be done to secure a proportionate and effective response to women’s offending.