Nine in ten female young offenders are victims of abuse, research finds
Joe Lepper
Friday, January 15, 2021
Almost all female young offenders are likely to have been abused by a family member or someone they trust, research has found.
According to a research report as many as nine in ten girls in the criminal justice system, under the age of 18, may have experienced abused.
Just under a third (63 per cent) of young female offenders, aged between 16 and 24 have been victims of rape and/or domestic abuse. In addition, 15 per cent of young women in the same age group have been involved in sex work.
Such trauma is often a factor in young women and girls committing crime, the research by criminal justice campaigners Agenda and Standing Committee for Youth Justice (SCYJ) found.
“There is evidence that both coercion and women’s violent responses to their own abuse in relationships can result in them being criminalised for these actions, the research states.
Abuse is being carried by adults as well as by other young people, either friends or partners, according to the report.
“Young adult women in contact with the criminal justice system may also have experience of peer-on-peer abuse, defined as abuse which ‘features physical, sexual and emotional abuse between young people, and may occur within their friendship groups or intimate relationships’”, states the report.
Young women are also increasingly being exploited through county lines drug distribution networks.
In addition, poor mental health and substance abuse are highlighted as problems young offenders with experience of trauma also face.
“Use of substances can exacerbate experiences of mental ill-health or be used as a coping mechanism,” found the research.
“Studies show that women and girls are more likely to report using drugs to alleviate emotional pain, whereas boys and men are more likely to cite hedonistic reasons.”
Agenda and SCYJ are calling for improved community support for vulnerable women and girls to reduce the risk of offending.
Agenda chief executive Jessica Southgate said: “The vast majority of young women in contact with the criminal justice system have experienced significant trauma and disadvantage. This can be a key driver for their offending, whether that is being coerced into crime by a partner, sexually exploited or using drugs or alcohol to cope with what they have experienced.
“In spite of that, when they then come into contact with the criminal justice system, too often the response does more harm than good or is retraumatising, such as the use of force, restraint or isolation.
“We need to be doing a lot better at recognising and responding to the needs of vulnerable girls and young women in the community before we reach this stage.
“This means more investment in specialist support but also a concerted and co-ordinated effort by the government to ensure girls and young women are no longer an afterthought.”
SCJY director Pippa Goodfellow added: “Girls and young women who have contact with the criminal justice system are too often ignored, misunderstood and misrepresented. A minority within a minority, little is understood about their experiences.
“This is a critical time in girls and young women’s lives, but often the transition between youth and adult systems feels like a cliff edge when services change or support falls away completely.
“We need a much clearer picture of what is going on at this point – better research and data gathering on girls and young women’s experiences – to inform better systems, services and support across all stages the criminal justice system. Putting gender high up on the policy agenda is long overdue.”
