female offenders

Learning for women in prison: report on the role of learning and skills in responding positively to the issues and circumstances faced by women in prison

Report that looks at how learning is key to responding positively to the issues and circumstances faced by women in prison and how programmes have been successful in progressing the learning for work and the reducing reoffending agendas.

Taking stock of alternatives to secure accommodation or custody for girls and young women in Scotland

Small-scale, scoping study that provides a synthesis of existing knowledge about girls and young women at risk of secure care or custody, and ways in which earlier intervention strategies and alternatives to secure care and accommodation could be developed specific to their needs.

The Scottish Government response to the Commission on Women Offenders

Document that sets out the Scottish Government’s response to the Commission on Women Offenders. In April 2012, the Commission on Women Offenders published its report based on a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system in Scotland.

The Commission recommended actions that will improve outcomes for women involved in that system and reduce their reoffending.

Time for change: an evaluation of an intensive support service for young women at high risk of secure care or custody

Briefing that presents key findings of research which evaluated the Time for Change Young Women’s Project, a community-based intensive support service for young women and girls aged 14 to 17 years at high risk of being drawn into secure care and custodial detention.

Breaking the cycle of women's offending: a system re-design

Paper based on a swift consultation and actionplanning exercise with a group of RR3 representatives and additional stakeholders co-opted for their expertise and strategic overview of women in the CJS.

The group took a dynamic approach to the task by analysing the key routes of girls and women into and out of the CJS and considering how to stem the flow in a more gender-responsive way.

Empty cells or empty words? Government policy on reducing the number of women going to prison

Report that begins by considering how the female prison population has increased, why this has happened and what the consequences have been. This is followed by a review of the way the Labour government sought to reduce the number of women going to prison and the very limited impact its policies had in practice. The report concludes by considering what the current government has achieved during its first two years in office; and what changes might be needed if the number of women entering prison is really to fall.