PRT publishes new resources on women’s imprisonment
PRT has published new resources to help inform understanding of local trends in the use of imprisonment for women in England and Wales.
The resources, based on new analysis of Ministry of Justice court data, provide a detailed breakdown of the use of imprisonment for women in each local police force area in England and Wales in 2024.
The publications include ‘at a glance’ data tables summarising the use of custody for each local police force area between 2014 and 2024 and individual factsheets for each of the 42 police force areas in England and Wales. Each factsheet provides information on recent trends in the use of immediate custody for women, regional comparisons and a breakdown of the offence types for which women are sent to prison.
The analysis of the data reveals a postcode lottery of women’s imprisonment, with significant variations across police force areas. This regional variation may partly be due to more coordinated and effective local strategies around supporting women in contact with the criminal justice system. In the West Midlands and Greater Manchester for example, collaborative efforts between police, courts and women’s services have led to more integrated and responsive approaches to women’s offending. Some police force areas saw dramatic reductions in the use of short sentences between 2014 and 2024. For example, London recorded a 50% drop in sentences of under 12 months and the West Midlands saw a 40% decline over the same period.
