Women who commit crime comprise a relatively small yet increasing group within the
Criminal Justice System in Ireland.
On any day the Probation Service is working with almost 1,300 women offenders in the
community1
; either assessing or supervising them on a range of probation type orders,
community service or post release supervision. Almost 14% or 1 in 7 new referrals to the
Probation Service are for women offenders (1,206 new referrals)2
.
On any day there are around 150 women in custody. 2,151 women were committed to
prison in 2012 which is almost 15% of all committals3
. In comparison 2,326 women were
committed to prison in 2013 which accounted for 18% of all committals. While there are
currently 133 spaces for female prisoners, both female prisons regularly run above capacity
with an average female population of 152 in custody in 2012.
All crime must be met by an effective and proportionate sanction that reduces re-offending
and victimisation and promotes desistance from crime. In a minority of cases prison is
necessary. Most women who offend pose a low risk to society; however they generally have
a high level of need. The impact of criminal justice sanctions on the woman, her family and
children can therefore be disproportionately harsh, particularly if a woman is placed in
custody.