This briefing provides a summary on the dynamics of female offending and details the importance of expanding the use of gender-specific approaches to women in the criminal justice system. It highlights some existing good practice in this area, and outlines some guidance for those seeking to implement a problem-solving court for women.

We spoke to Joe Garraway, Strengthening Families’ Strategic Manager, about the Strengthening Families model and its approach to preventing recurrent care proceedings.

We spoke to Sarah Beresford, Prison Reform Trust Associate and Churchill Fellow, about piloting a new assessment framework for supporting children who have a mother in the criminal justice system.

This report outlines the business case for the roll-out of Family Drug and Alcohol Courts to every local authority in England and Wales.

We spoke with Peter Neyroud, former police officer for 30 years and lecturer in evidenced based policing about lessons from pre-arrest diversion and what he sees in the future for improving the evidence base.

 

We spoke to Tracy Kent, Deputy Chief Executive at the Hampton Trust, who told us about the framework of the project and its expansion into multiple regions in England.  

We spoke with Hampshire Service Delivery Manager Laura Cairns, at Restorative Solutions, who told us about the delivery of their hate crime awareness course. 

We spoke to the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, and his Policy Officer, Dan Gordon, about the DIVERT scheme in the West Midlands.

The West Midlands Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) has commissioned a Pre-Arrest Drug Diversion scheme, which was rolled out in October 2020, and is now taking place across the seven local authorities of Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton in the West Midlands.

Kam Kaur, Senior Social Worker and Parenting Apart Consultant, told us about their programme for separated and divorced parents.