New Study: A Constellation of Circumstances: The drivers of women’s increasing rates of remand in Victoria
Abstract: In Victoria, the average number of women entering prison each month has increased three-fold over the past decade and 9 out of 10 women entering custody are on remand. This study combined analysis of statistical data with observations of the Bail and Remand Court and interviews with criminal defence and duty lawyers to investigate the drivers of women’s increasing rates of remand. The study finds that often women’s offending is low-level, but that there are a ‘constellation of circumstances’ that contribute to their criminalisation and incarceration, including homelessness, poverty, family violence, untreated health problems and addiction. The findings also suggest that recent reforms to the Bail Act 1977 (Vic) have impacted upon remand rates and that policing has become ‘tougher’ under the new bail regime. The report’s authors make a series of calls for change, including a review of bail laws to bring them in line with the principle that imprisonment should only be used as a last resort and that any decreases in prisoner numbers observed during the Covid-19 pandemic should be sustained and extended into the future.
Access the webinar that coincided with the release of the report