Comment: Diverting Women from the Criminal Justice System through Education, Training, and Employment
This opinion piece has been written by Dr Nicola Mallowan, Senior Lecture in Forensic Psychology at BNU.
Nicola is an Associate Fellow with the British Psychological Society and is the Continuous Personal Development Lead for the BPS Division of Forensic Psychology committee. As a practitioner, Nicola previously worked for the National Probation Substance Misuse Team and undertakes research on substance misuse, prisonisation, working with exploited groups, racial biases in the CJS, knife crime, and public perception of crime.
It was pleasing to see a report from Sky News, highlighting the complex realities faced by women in prison. The report focused on HMP Foston Hall in Derbyshire, where opinions among women in prison ranged from prison being a “shithole” to “a place of rehab.” The report coincides with an upcoming sentencing review likely to recommend scrapping short custodial sentences for low-level, non-violent offences, particularly those involving vulnerable women. Many of whom have histories of trauma, addiction, poverty, caregiving responsibilities, and are disproportionately affected by short sentences that disrupt families, increase homelessness and hinder rehabilitation.
Personal stories highlight the cycle of reoffending, mental health struggles, and the long-term consequences of imprisonment, such as loss of employment and strained family bonds. Some women shared that going to prison meant the loss of their job, while others, likely the more vulnerable, describing prison as their only means of safety.
It is known that women are disproportionately affected by short custodial sentences, often imposed for non-violent, low-level offences, which do not pose a risk to public safety. Frequently imprisoned far from home, these women struggle to maintain family ties, as evidenced by the Farmer Report (2018), hindering reintegration into society post-release. Many imprisoned women have children, and the impact on these children is profound, leading to an increased likelihood of being placed in care, experiencing poverty, suffering from reduced mental health and well-being, facing poor educational outcomes; ultimately being at a heightened risk of involvement in the CJS themselves. This cyclical disadvantage highlights the need for early intervention, community-based support, and structured opportunities for women to develop skills and access employment, reducing reoffending rates and fostering social reintegration.
A major contributing factor to women’s involvement in the CJS is the socio-economic disadvantage they face. Women in the system are more likely to be lone parents, limited in their access to education due to childcare responsibilities, and financially constrained by reliance on benefits. Many women entering the CJS with a history of adverse childhood experience, school exclusion, trauma, exploitation, substance misuse, and economic hardship. However, these lived experiences can serve as powerful tools for rehabilitation and mentorship, when channelled into structured education and employment opportunities.
Government officials, including Prisons Minister Lord Timpson, acknowledge the need for reform, citing alternatives like "problem-solving courts", providing community-based sentences with wraparound support. Hence the creation of the Women’s Justice Board (WJB), aiming to divert women from the CJS through alternative means such as women’s centres providing education, training, and employment, tackling the root causes of offending head-on. Rather than merely punishing women after the fact, the WJB proposes to provide early intervention, community-based alternatives, and targeted gender responsive, trauma informed support for vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, young adults, and mothers of young children.
Instead of imprisonment, funding would be better placed towards women-focused educational programmes, specifically developed in mind for women (given the androcentric nature of the CJS), to equip them with the skills to make up the third-sector workforce (for example, women’s centres and community support roles). Developed with third-sector partners, a curriculum would meet sector needs and be made accessible to these women through free childcare, financial support, and a collaborative model combining academic and lived experience. To encourage attrition rates, the programme should be peer-led, with graduates mentoring new participants in a supportive, inclusive environment.
Upon completion, participants would be equipped to take up voluntary placements in third-sector organisations, gaining practical experience, supporting their transition into paid work. This mutually beneficial approach addresses staffing gaps, while providing women with valuable skills, meaningful work, and employment pathways.
The model is flexible enough to be implemented both in the community and within the prison system, allowing women to leave custody not just with time served, but with a qualification, a work placement, and a real opportunity to turn their lives around. It is a rare win-win: less anti-social offending, lower prison populations, and women given the tools to rebuild their lives.
Crucially, this initiative seeks to break the cycle of disadvantage and criminality that disproportionately affects women in the CJS. Recognising the value of lived experience, reducing stigma, and ensuring accessibility through childcare and financial support, this programme will create a clear pathway for women to contribute positively to society while building stable futures for themselves and their families.
This approach is not just more humane, it is more effective. Prison, especially short-term custody, often fails to deter reoffending or address the underlying issues driving criminal behaviour. Investing in women’s futures through education and employment isn't a “soft touch”; it’s smart justice.
Sky News report offers a sobering but necessary look into the experiences of women in prison, many of whom are caught in a revolving door of short sentences, addiction, trauma, and economic hardship. While prison may be the right response in some cases, it's increasingly clear that for many women, particularly those convicted of non-violent, low-level offences, imprisonment does more harm than good, and it is now time for reform.