Presenting research that will underpin effective practice with women who offend, this unique and thought-provoking text aims to help professionals meet the needs of this group as well as providing a theoretical resource for policy makers and academics. The authors, coming from a variety of professional and research perspectives, discuss important issues concerning women in the criminal justice system, including:

* the increase in custodial sentences for women

* black women in prison

* patterns of female offending

* drug use and the criminal justice system

* the needs of women on release from prison.

Calling into question the relevance to female offenders of research conducted with men who commit crime, the contributors provide a comprehensive knowledge base on women and crime for professionals who work in this area. With a broad range of contributions, this book will be helpful to probation officers, social workers, policy makers and others who work with female offenders.

It provides a detailed discussion on theories of female offending and the impact of community and custodial sentencing. -- Community Care
This compilation of contributions by researchers and practitioners should be of use to both policy makers and staff... This is an authoritative and thought-provoking resource. -- Care and Health Magazine

Gill McIvor is Director of the Social Work Research Centre at the University of Stirling. Her research interests include community penalties, young people and crime and women's experience of community sentences. She is currently involved in the evaluation of pilot Drug Courts in Scotland and in comparative research on drug courts and on women's experiences in prison. She has published widely in the area of offenders and is the editor of Working With Offenders: Research Highlights in Social Work 26, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.