The rise of female imprisonment in Scotland

Abstract

First paragraph: Offending by women differs in a number of important ways from offending by men: it is less common, less frequent and less serious (Burman 2004; McIvor 2007; Gelb 2010; Schwartz and Steffensmeier 2007)). Women are typically convicted of relatively minor crimes that pose less public risk and, because they are usually convicted of offences that are less serious than those committed by men, they are less likely than men to receive custodial sentences. However, female imprisonment has increased dramatically in many western jurisdictions over the last 15-20 years as evidenced by significant increases in the numbers given sentences of imprisonment, in daily female prison populations, and in the rate of imprisonment of women (McIvor 2010). Indeed, in many countries, including Australia, England and Wales, New Zealand, Scotland and the US, the female prison population has increased at a faster rate than the male prison population in recent years (Walmsley 2012).