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Empowering women to desist from offending

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
AuthorShelly-Ann McDermott
DOI10.1177/0264550513512435a
Published date01 December 2013
Date01 December 2013
Subject MatterResearch & reports
PRB512435 439..444 Research & reports
441
Empowering women to desist from offending
The journey to desistance is complex and identifying how probation practice can
support longer term cessation of offending demands greater attention (King, 2013).
In this research paper, commissioned by The Griffins Society, McDermott (2012)
explores the processes that may empower women to desist from offending whilst
complying with community sentences.
The research was conducted within the London Probation Trust which imple-
mented two woman-specific activity requirements in November 2010. Courts can
sentence women to complete the Structured Supervision for Women (SSW) pro-
gramme or to attend sessions with Women Ahead at the Jagonari Women’s Education
and Resource Centre (WERC). Whereas SSW is a one-to-one cognitive-behavioural
programme delivered by probation staff, the Women Ahead activity involves
individually tailored support services delivered within the voluntary sector Jagonari
women’s centre. McDermott conducted semi-structured interviews and focus
groups with seven female service users who had been sentenced within the first year
that these activity requirements were implemented.
The work highlights that competing priorities and budget cuts can lead to the
marginalization of woman-specific criminal justice provisions, which in turn under-
mines the services that may promote women’s desistance (Gelsthorpe et al., 2007).
Women’s community provisions often implement confidence boosting, empower-
ment approaches that aim to address women’s problems holistically. This contrasts
with criminal justice interventions that prioritize punishment and enforcement. How-
ever, this latter focus does little to tackle complex, multiple social and economic
problems that are at the heart of women’s offending. This research found that
women require practical and holistic assistance alongside confidence-building sup-
port to overcome barriers and move away from criminal activity. Thus, there must be
a clear delineation between...

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