Women account for a minority of all those coming into contact with criminal justice agencies,
and their specific circumstances and needs are often overlooked or misunderstood by a
system which has largely developed in response to men’s offending profile and behaviour.
Most women who enter custody under sentence serve short prison sentences for petty but
sometimes persistent offending, and many have themselves been victims of domestic
violence and sexual abuse.
1 Many are mothers so the consequences of criminal sanctions
rebound on their children. Some have been trafficked and coerced into offending but not
identified as victims of trafficking and given the help to which they are entitled.
2
The briefing highlights the specific needs of women, profiles existing initiatives and
partnerships that seek to deal more effectively with women’s offending, and provides links to
other useful resources. It should be of interest to those with policy, funding, commissioning
and service delivery responsibilities.
Ireland