“The stigma puts you off”: Why some women in the justice system don’t engage with services
This blog is a write-up of the latest meeting of Revolving Doors’ Women’s Forum, and is part of our latest round of lived experience forums where we’re exploring why people in the revolving door aren’t engaging in services. You can read the first blog from our General Forum here.
Recall and breach rates remain high for women in the criminal justice system. Recent statistics indicate a 42% increase in prison recalls for women between July and September 2024, compared to the same quarter in 2023.
However, it’s not just the ‘hard’ punitive options which paint a picture of a justice system that struggles to appropriately engage with women, and to support them out of cycles of crisis and crime. Dropout rates for voluntary rehabilitative services can be similarly high.
It’s easy to question why, when given opportunities to address harmful behaviour including substance use and mental health problems, some women don’t engage with services when offered.
But for many women in the criminal justice system, engaging with services isn’t simple. Following the success of our general forum on the same topic, we decided to explore this with our women’s forum.
Women’s forum members told us that too often support feels unsafe, rigid, or irrelevant. Women disengage not because they don’t want help, but because the help on offer doesn’t meet their needs.
Stigma, shame, and fear
Women describe facing harsher judgement than men for substance use, especially if they are mothers. For some, the fear of social services involvement overshadows every decision.
“If you disclose you use, there is a fear of involvement of social services. You fear being punished if relapse occurs. You have to be careful about letting an agency in.”
Even walking through the door of a service can feel exposing. One woman told us:
“As soon as anybody sees you walking up the driveway, people know that’s the drug service. The stigma puts you off.”
Unsafe and unhelpful services
Too many women describe services that weren’t trauma-informed, felt unsafe, or simply didn’t work for them.
“The whole waiting area was full of men. Being a female, I felt uncomfortable and unclean.”
‘’The counsellor I saw for my mental health treatment requirement was lovely, but it was quickly obvious that she did have the skill set to work with someone as complex as me. For that reason I kept things simple and did not open up to far. I just went through the motions. It was a waste of time. But she just could not have coped with it if I had been honest.“
Others spoke about being given male case workers despite asking for a woman, or being offered “one-size-fits-all” activities that felt meaningless.
In particular, short-term counselling with no follow-up could sometimes do more harm than good:
“Every session left me in pieces, and at the end I was told if I wanted more I’d have to pay for it. There was no aftercare. It left me feeling even more low and alone.”
Practical barriers
Even when services are appropriate, the logistics can feel impossible. Many women balance caring responsibilities with limited financial support.
“Being a caregiver, the responsibilities of childcare and out-of-pocket expenses – that was a big thing for me.”
Travel costs, paperwork, and multiple appointments add further stress. For women already juggling so much, this can simply be too much.
What women say would help
Despite these barriers, women are clear about what makes a difference. They want services that are:
- Accessible and flexible – evening or weekend sessions, childcare support, easier referral routes, and less paperwork.
- Safe and welcoming – women-only spaces that feel homely, not clinical or intimidating.
- Trauma-informed and person-centred – support that addresses trauma, addiction, and domestic abuse together, and focuses on strengths, not just risks.
- Consistent and trustworthy – case workers who stay with them, staff with lived experience, and a non-judgemental approach.
- Integrated and collaborative – a “tell it once” model where services share information and work together, instead of women being passed from agency to agency.
- Purposeful – opportunities to learn, train and grow, not just tokenistic activities.
Services for women in the criminal justice system must be designed and commissioned with women, not for them. Non-engagement is rarely a sign of disinterest or lack of motivation; more often, it reflects services not matching women’s lived realities. It’s not women who are “hard to reach”. Rather, it is the services themselves that fail to meet their needs.
By involving women in the design, delivery and evaluation of support, services can be accessible, trauma-informed, flexible and trustworthy. Only then can engagement be meaningful, outcomes improve, and women be supported to rebuild their lives safely and successfully.
