Engendering Justice - Women and the Criminal Justice System

Fawcett is working towards a fair deal for Women from the Criminal Justice System

Significantly, Millicent Fawcett was one of the very first women appointed as Justices of the Peace in 1920.

The criminal justice system is made up of a wide range of agencies, including the police, the courts, the prison service, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the National Probation Service. The purpose of the criminal justice system is to deliver justice for all.

However, historically, the criminal justice system has been a particularly male-dominated part of our legal system, and female victims, suspects, offenders, and practitioners have been marginalised.

Fawcett believes:

• Justice should be for all, yet our criminal justice system is currently failing women.

• Gender should be at the heart of the criminal justice system.

• The Government and criminal justice agencies must take immediate action to address discrimination against women in the criminal justice system.

Women continue to face disadvantage throughout the criminal justice system:

As victims and survivors of crime:
The criminal justice system is failing victims of violence while there are not enough services available to support female victims.

As suspects, defendants and offenders:
Too many women are being imprisoned on short sentences for non-violent crime and remand is being over-used for female defendants.

As workers in the criminal justice system: Women are under-represented among those working in the criminal justice system, particularly among the judiciary and the senior levels of the police, the CPS, as Queen’s Counsel and as Partners in law firms

For the key facts in relation to women and the criminal justice system please download our fact sheet on the right hand side of this page.

To find out more about Fawcett’s current work in relation to the Criminal Justice System, please click on the links below:

Fawcett Commission on Women and the Criminal Justice System
Fawcett's Commission on Women and the Criminal Justice System looks at women as offenders, victims and practitioners in the system - exposing disadvantage and making recommendations for change.

Justice for rape victims
Every 34 minutes a rape is reported to the police in the UK. Fawcett campaigns for greater access to services and justice for rape victims.

Take Action
Find out what Fawcett is doing and how you can contribute to working towards a fairer justice system for women