Women workers in the criminal justice system

Fawcett believes that if those working in the criminal justice system were more representative of society as a whole, it would be fairer for everyone - offenders, victims and practitioners.

The issues:

• Women are under-represented in the higher grades of police staffing, and sexism, including sexual harassment, is widespread in the police.
• Two thirds of Crown Prosecution staff are women, but they are clustered at the lower levels.
• Only 1 out of the 12 judges in the House of Lords is a woman.
• Women represent 10% of High Court judges, 13.32% of Circuit Judges, 14% of Recorders, one fifth of District Judges, and around half of Magistrates
• Women lawyers are significantly under-represented at senior levels generally, particularly as Queen’s Counsel and Partners in law firms.

Fawcett recommends:

• Positive action schemes to ensure the recruitment and promotion of talented women should be rolled out nationally across all police forces, and police forces should urgently address internal cultures of sexism.
• The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) needs to prioritise gender diversity and put structures in place to ensure women from all backgrounds are better represented in the judiciary.
• An audit process of the new system of Queen’s Counsel Appointments (QCA) should be put in place, and resources made available to allow QCA to reach out and engage with under-represented groups.