Women in the Criminal Justice System

Monday 16th March 2026 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Jake Richards)]

My noble Friend the Minister of State for Justice (Lord Timpson) has today made the following statement:

"I wish to update the House on the Government’s work to improve outcomes for women in or at risk of contact with the criminal justice system, and to set out next steps following the publication of the women's justice board report today.

Although women account for only a small proportion of those in custody and serving community sentences, they face distinct and complex challenges. Evidence shows that women in custody are more likely to have experienced domestic or sexual abuse, trauma, mental ill health and substance misuse. They are also more likely than men in custody to be primary carers. Reducing the number of women entering custody is essential to breaking cycles of harm that affect families and communities.

The women’s justice board was established to support the Government goal of enabling more women offenders to be managed in the community. At the request of the Deputy Prime Minister, and at my request, members of the board have produced a report offering recommendations to reduce the number of women in prison, and to ensure women receive the support they need across the system to turn their lives around.

A key recommendation in the report is the need for sustainable, long-term investment in women’s specialist services for delivering gender-specific, trauma-informed support. In line with this, I am delighted to announce that the Government will provide an additional £10 million in funding for women’s community and voluntary organisations over the spending review period, bringing total funding over this period to £31.6 million. This uplift will strengthen diversion pathways and build capacity within the women’s community sector—supporting the sustainable, resilient services called for by the women’s justice board.

I am very grateful to members of the board for their leadership, expert judgement and unwavering commitment to improving women’s justice.

As we move from strategy to delivery, the women’s justice board will now come to an end. To support this next phase of work, we will transition to a new women’s justice advisory group. This group will act as a distinct advisory forum, providing external insight, expert advice and constructive challenge to support implementation.

Improving outcomes for women in the criminal justice system remains a priority for Government. We are now going to consider carefully the recommendations in this report and how we are best able to deliver reform in this vital area.

I will deposit a copy of the report, ‘Women’s Justice Board recommendations for reducing women’s imprisonment’, in the Library of the House.”

[HCWS1401]