Calls for law and order rethink as the number of women in jail soars

“Prison didn’t help me. Prison further damaged me.”

CIJ’s Adviser & Peer Support Worker, Dorothy Armstrong

A leading justice reform group is calling for a rethink on law and order, saying the actions of violent men have led to legislative changes that are contributing to women being locked up at an alarming rate.

The ‘Leaving Custody behind‘ report from RMIT University’s Centre for Innovative Justice, released on Thursday, says government policies aimed at improving the response for women in the justice system are undermined by wider reforms following significant public episodes of violence.

Tammy Mills, July 14 2021, The Age

Leaving custody behind: Foundations for safer communities and gender-informed criminal justice systems

This Issues Paper draws together evidence about women’s involvement in the criminal justice system and the factors behind the escalating female imprisonment rate in Victoria. It highlights the disproportionate harm caused by the incarceration of women and the urgent need to find alternatives that better meet human rights standards.

Lessons from COVID-19: The use of remand, bail and sentencing for women

As part of our continuing focus on the specific needs of women in the justice system, the CIJ has embarked on a project developed in partnership with the Law and Advocacy Centre for Women, which explores women's experiences of criminal justice contact and legal outcomes since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

illustration of woman in front of prison bars

Blog

COVID-19 and incarcerated women: a call to action in two parts – Part Two

In this two-part series, we draw on our work with partner agencies and people with experiences of imprisonment to argue for women to be prioritised for bail or early release from Victorian jails. This is in advance of a broader CIJ Discussion Paper regarding the imperative for decarceration of women, to be released towards the middle of the year. In the second of this two-part discussion, the CIJ explores the impact on women of measures to manage viral infection in Victoria’s prisons.

Blog

COVID-19 and incarcerated women: a call to action in two parts – Part One

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Calls for law and order rethink as the number of women in jail soars

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