'Time Out' for Women: Innovation in Scotland in a Context of Change

The 218 Centre was set up following consistent concerns about the increasing number of women in prison in Scotland and the high-level needs of many of these women. It is an innovative and high profile attempt to develop appropriate responses to women in the criminal justice system. It offers women an opportunity for ‘time out’ of their normal environment without resorting to ‘time in’ custody, providing both residential and community-based services. This article outlines some of the issues and challenges which characterised the early development and operation of the 218 Centre. It illustrates the ways in which some of the issues that arose during the evaluation resonate with current and ongoing debates within criminology and draws attention to the difficulties in using the criminal justice system to address other issues

'Prove me the bam!': victimization and agency in the lives of young women who commit violent offences

This article reviews the evidence regarding young women’s involvement in violent crime and, drawing on recent research carried out in HMPYOI Cornton Vale in Scotland, provides an overview of the characteristics, needs and deeds of young women sentenced to imprisonment for violent offending. Through the use of direct quotations, the article suggests that young women’s anger and aggression is often related to their experiences of family violence and abuse, and the acquisition of a negative worldview in which other people are considered as being 'out to get you' or ready to 'put one over on you'. The young women survived in these circumstances, not by adopting discourses that cast them as exploited victims, but by drawing on (sub)cultural norms and values which promote pre-emptive violence and the defence of respect. The implications of these findings for those who work with such young women are also discussed

'Holistic' Community Punishment and Criminal Justice Interventions for Women

Calls for ‘holistic' responses to halt the increasing imprisonment of women are continually reiterated. Solutions are sought which aim to be both ‘gender-responsive' and ‘community-based'; however, the absence of meaningful definitions of ‘community' and ‘holistic' means that superficial responses are often put in place in response to failures of the system. Taking as an example one attempt to introduce a community-based service for women in Scotland, this article examines the challenges of implementing services that are located within ‘the community' and considers the consequences for feasible attempts to reduce the number of women in prison in Scotland and internationally

Social work services in the criminal justice system Achieving national standards; progress report

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:GPC/03517 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Managing the risk An inspection of the management of sex offender cases in the community

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:m00/43735 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Time well spent A report on day services for people with mental illness

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:GPC/08187 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

A service in transition The report of an inspection of local authority home help services for older people

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:GPC/08300 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Moving forward with care Community care services for older people in Angus, Dundee City and*Perth & Kinross

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:GPE/0013 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo