Women in the Justice System

How has the global female and male prison population changed from 2000-2022?

Female - increased by 59%

Male - increased by 22%

Why is the growth of the female prison population signifcant?

Although women remain a smaller proportion of the prison population, their numbers are growing faster than men’s

In 2023 what percentage of Australas’s prison population were female?

7.5% representing 3,168 women

How did WA compare with other Australian states in female imprisonment rates in 2023?

WA had the second-highest female imprisonment rate, at 60 per 100,000 behind the NT at 121 per 100,000

What was the Indigenous female imprisonment rate in WA in 2023?

931 per 100,000 the highest Indigenous female imprisonment rate in Australia

In 2022 how many women were in WA prisons?

569 women
- 51.3% of that being Aboriginal women and 48.7 non-Aboriginal

What does the Aboriginal representation in WA women’s prisons demonstrate

Aboriginal women are highly overrepresented. They made up around 3.8% of the Australian female population, but approx. half the prison population. 21x overepresentation

Which WA metropolitan prison had the largest number of women in custody in 2022?

Bandyup with 181 women (31.8%)

Which WA women’s prison is a minimum security pre-release facility?

Boronia Pre-release Centre, Significant because children up to 4 years old can reside there with their mothers, while children up to 12 can stay overnight.

What is the Wandoo Rehabilitation Prison specialised in?

It became a dedicated drug and alcohol specialist prison for women with addiction issues in 2018

How many women were interviewed for the 2022 Women in Prison Survey?

80 women
- characteristics such as Aboriginal/Non-Aboriginal status, remand/sentenced status, and length of sentence/

- Contacted through a Prison Liaison Officer

What type of interviews were conducted?

Narrative interviews, allowing women to describe their experiences in their own words. They were recorded and transcribed, then researchers conducted thematic analysis.

What ethical consideration was specifically mentioned in the survey?

A distress protocol was used because participants were discussing potentially traumatic and sensitive experiences. - important because participants may be discussing trauma, abuse, domestic violence, and other sensitive experiences, so researchers need to minimise harm and respond appropriately to distress.

What is the pre-imprisonment cycle of harm?

A pattern involving adverse childhood experiences → homelessness/unsafe accomodation → harmful relationships, drug use, and early motherhood → interactions with the criminal legal system → prison.

What are adverse childhood experiences that may contribute to women’s involvement with the criminal legal system?

Experiences such as child abuse and family instability, which can contribute to later homelessness, harmful relationships, substance use and other difficulties.

How can homelessness contribute to criminal legal system involvement?

Lack of safe accomodation can leave women vulnerable to harmful relationships, substance use and survival-related behaviours.

How can drug and alcohol use feature in women’s pathway into prison

The women described substance use as a way of coping with trauma and difficult circumstances, which could become connected to criminal activity. Some women described being surrounded by drug and alcohol-using peers, making it difficult to break the cycle

How can early motherhood be connected to pathways into the criminal legal system?

Early motherhood can occur alongside homelessness, lack of support and poverty, creating circumstances where women may struggle to meet their own and their children’s basic needs.

• some women described losing their children as contributing to increased drug use, crime, housing instability, and returning to prison

What experiences with the criminal legal system were identified in the lecture?

Interactions with DCP, police, Legal Aid and sentencing/courts

• stolen generations experiences, trauma, grief and loss, and systematic racism

What is an important overall message about women’s pathways into prison

Women’s involvement with the criminal legal system can be understood as complex and connected to broader social experiences, rather than simply being the result of individual choices

What does “language matter” when discussing women in prison?

Because people are more than their criminal record. Language should recognise their humanity and complex experiences

Person centered alternative

Prisoner → person in prison

Ex-prisoner → person with live experiences of prison

Offenders → Justice involved people

What does the term “criminalised women” emphasise?

That women may have experienced multiple areas of deprivation and different forms of abuse that contributed to their involvement with the criminal legal system

Why is person centered language important for social workers

It avoids defining someone solely by their criminalisation and instead recognises their humanity, circumstances, strengths, and lived experiences