International Profile of Women’s Prisons

This work was commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Health and was carried out in two phases. Phase One looked at 18 countries and collected data on women’s prison populations in relation to the general prison population, and the arrangements made to house women prisoners. Sources were mainly governmental statistics and descriptive reports on the design and appearance of women’s prisons where available. Phase Two examined eight countries in more detail and looked to establish how far these countries were providing a prison service based on the needs of women, taking into account that in most countries women make up a small minority of the prison population. Sources in Phase Two were governmental policy documents, other external evaluations and commentaries.