ABSTRACT
Care-experienced women are significantly over-represented within the criminal justice system (CJS): almost a third of women in custody are known to have previous experience of care, compared with a quarter of men (Ministry of Justice (MoJ) (2021) Safety in Custody Statistics, England and Wales: Deaths in Prison Custody to march 2021 Assaults and Self-harm to December 2020. London: National Statistics). Nonetheless, there has been a distinct lack of research on the association between gender, care experience and criminal justice involvement. Drawing on research funded by the Nuffield Foundation, this chapter explores what is – and is not – known about the impact of care experience for women in the CJS. The chapter considers the experiences of girls and women involved in both care and justice systems, including trauma and adverse life events, and their journeys through the care and CJSs. The prevalence of self-harm amongst care-experienced women in custody and the (lack of) mental health and other support available, including after care are highlighted, alongside a consideration of the stigmatisation of care and justice-experienced women. Many care-experienced women in custody are mothers and may experience their own children being taken into care. Whilst the evidence-base is limited, the complex and intersecting relationships between care experience, child removal and criminal justice are highlighted, demonstrating that this topic must be prioritised in future research.
