Young women make up just 4% of the prison population yet they face higher rates of recall than men and in the last year, the number of women recalled to prison has nearly doubled.
For many women, this is often the result of non-violent breaches of license conditions rather than re-offending.
Concern has been raised over the existing probation system, which is said to prioritise enforcement over support, and does not take into account gender-specific considerations, therefore further contributing to the recall and reincarceration cycle.
Director of Developments and Insights for Advance, a charity focusing on support for women and girls who have contact with the criminal justice system, Summer Alstun-Smith said: “A lot of the services available haven’t been designed with young women in mind.
“They have been left out of the design of services.”
HM inspectorate of probation published a criminal justice inspection with HM inspectorate of prisons on the quality of work undertaken with women.
The research found that there are significant barriers to effective resettlement support for women in prison.
Alstun-Smith said: “One of the main reasons girls remain so invisible in the justice system is because volumes are so low – 282 young women were in prison as of June 2025.
“In the entire justice system that is a really small cohort, especially when you think about the number of men and boys.
“It is important that we are having age as well as gender specific conversations about what works best.”
In London, issues surrounding recall are often a result of a lack of safe suitable housing options for these women.
The homelessness services that are available often disregard the safety and trauma needs of individuals.
Alstun-Smith said: “We know that having stable accommodation, having support networks, having positive activities to engage with, not only can improve women’s outcomes upon leaving prison but it also instils a sense of confidence for probation officers to feel content with the fact that she is not going to reoffend in the community, and that she can meet the conditions of her license.
“These positive spaces also reduce the risk of individuals re-entering criminal activity.”
Advance are launching a pilot housing project in East London providing safe and supported accommodation with trauma- informed support for women under the age of 25.
One young woman spoke to the Londoners anonymously about her experience in the criminal justice system.
She was re-arrested after breaching her police order. Now, having been released again, she is back living between her one-bedroom flat, with her dad and two brothers, or at her girlfriend’s house which she describes as a volatile relationship.
She likens her experience to living on eggshells, censoring her words and actions with her girlfriend as she fears a fight could break out and she would be sent to prison.
She said: “Prison is about survival. Minute by minute, day to day survival. I don’t ever want to go back there.
“Safe supported housing would make a huge difference to young women.”
While there have been initiatives happening up and down the country that have been pushing for gender specific approaches to the criminal justice system, services for younger women still need improvement.
Photo by Francois Olwage on Unsplash.
Join the discussion