Reporting on female clients

It is vital to understand and report on female clients in a way that is sensitive to gender issues, recognising the elevated rates of historical trauma amongst female offenders. Over recent years, there has been a greater recognition of gender differences in the pathways to offending and the unique needs of female offenders. Prevalence studies lend support to this work, as research indicates that female offenders often have a history of emotional, physical or sexual abuse during childhood. This chapter highlights the importance of considering women's pathways into offending, utilising gender sensitive theories of offending behaviour and gender sensitive tools in report writing. When reporting on female clients, it is important not to rely on models developed for male offenders. Standardised, structured risk assessment tools have largely been developed using male samples, and some authors argue that it is not appropriate to use standardised tools with women if they have not been developed specifically for women.