Chaotic lives : a profile of women in the criminal justice system in Lothian and Borders

Barry, Monica and McIvor, Gill (2008) Chaotic lives : a profile of women in the criminal justice system in Lothian and Borders. Lothian and Borders Community Justice Authority.

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Abstract

Female offenders are becoming a high-risk and high-tariff population because of harsher sentencing practices which have resulted in an unprecedented rise in women's incarceration. Whilst there is evidence that in certain respects men and women have similar 'criminogenic needs', academics and practitioners, perhaps more so than policy makers, recognise the need for interventions with women to be more informal, less structured and supportive of needs other than offending behaviour. Whereas men tend to respond better to interventions which focus on offending behaviour, women need more emotional support for a wider range of problems during periods of crisis.