Evaluation of Sixteen Women's Community Justice Services in Scotland - Research Findings

Introduction

Women's Community Justice Services (WCJSs) provide a holistic approach to addressing the often complex issues that underlie the offending behaviour of women involved in the criminal justice system. As previous studies suggest, unless these issues are addressed, it is unlikely that community sanctions or supervision alone will reduce reoffending.^[1]

In 2013-15, the Scottish Government provided time-limited funding for 16 projects proposed by criminal justice partners across Scotland to develop community services for women. The variety of approaches was driven by existing service provision, local context, and the extent to which services could be sustained locally beyond the funding period.

There were three models of service delivery: women's centres (3), CJSW workers or women's teams (6), and 'community hubs' (3). Four standalone projects were also undertaken, which included a registered mental health nurse to work with women in existing services across three local authorities, a diversion ('early intervention') pilot, a court-based service to inform remand decisions, and a scoping project for one region to establish a women's service.