Legal

The review is an opportunity to fundamentally reform how sentencing works for women

The NWJC welcomes the Independent Sentencing Review as an opportunity to fundamentally re-think and reform how sentencing works for women and girls in England and Wales.

We know that most women in prison need community-based support not punishment, and short custodial sentences disrupt lives and fail to tackle the root causes of female offending or the underlying complex needs of women and girls in contact with the CJS.

Collectively, we believe the Independent Sentencing Review presents a valuable opportunity to radically transform and embed more sustainable, compassionate and gender-responsive approaches to sentencing women and girls and to shift the balance across the CJS from punitive justice to effective rehabilitation and prevention.

Our partners know firsthand that when women are supported holistically to address their complex needs and offending behaviours, they can transform their lives. This leads to more equitable justice for women and improves outcomes for offenders, victims and communities as a whole.

Through extensive consultation with our partners and wider colleagues from across the women’s justice sector, we have compiled a list of key recommendations, supported by current evidence, for the review panel to consider.

READ the NWJC submission in full here

We welcome further opportunities for NWJC representatives and partners to participate in the planned programme of engagement events including roundtables that will support the Sentencing Review process and we look forward to the publication of the Sentencing Review Independent Panel’s report in spring 2025.