This is a guest post by Dr Alexandria Bradley and Dr Sarah Waite of Leeds Beckett University on their qualitative evaluation of the Greater Manchester women’s problem-solving court.
Renewed focus on sentencing women
In recent months there has been increased scrutiny of how women are sentenced, following the Independent Sentencing Review and wider discussions associated with enhancing community-based alternatives to custody. The review calls for more tailored interventions and greater judicial flexibility to divert women from short custodial sentences, which are widely seen as disproportionately harmful. It also stresses the urgent need for long-term funding for Women’s Centres, which offer vital tailored support and safe spaces for women.
Longstanding concerns raised in the Female Offender Strategy (2018) and by the Women’s Budget Group (2020), indicate that around £1.7 billion is spent annually on criminalising women. This excludes the wider costs of children entering care, housing instability, and lost economic contribution. Meanwhile, the HM Inspectorate of Probation Annual Report (2024) points to critical challenges: staff shortages, high sickness rates, and unsustainable workloads, all of which hinder effective and meaningful gender-responsive support.
The Greater Manchester Women’s Problem-Solving Courts (GMWPSCs) depend on strong collaboration between the judiciary, probation, and Women’s Centres. To protect and strengthen this model, it is essential that the Independent Sentencing Review’s recommendations are acted upon. This should start with listening to and learning from women themselves, whose insights reveal both the promise and the limitations of current practice.
National Models and Greater Manchester’s Women’s Problem-Solving Courts
These courts mark a shift in judicial practice as they aim to support women who are navigating underlying issues such as trauma, systemic disadvantage, and social marginalisation. By promoting a more collaborative and holistic approach, Problem-Solving Court (PSCs) seek to support women facing challenges such as mental health issues, substance use, and housing instability.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is currently piloting three Intensive Supervision Courts (ISCs), a form of PSC, including one specifically focused on women in Birmingham. Interim findings from the ongoing MoJ process evaluation suggest early potential for the model to enhance multidisciplinary collaboration and coordination (Ministry of Justice, 2024). However, there is still limited insight into the specific experiences of women participating in the ISC.
The GMWPSCs are the most well established and longest running model, launching in 2014 and originating as an alternative to custody (Deacon, 2023). The model operates as a component of the region’s successful Whole System Approach, designed to meet the specific needs of women involved in the criminal justice system. It offers a holistic, gender-responsive alternative to traditional sentencing for women who are eligible for medium to high-level community or suspended sentence orders, or short custodial sentences.
As part of the model, women are required to attend regular review hearings held at one of three Magistrates’ Courts; Greater Manchester, Stockport, or Bolton, often via remote video link (CVP) from Women’s Centres. This virtual format helps accommodate those facing barriers such as travel, childcare, or court-related anxiety. Reviews are intended to be informal and strengths-based, focusing on a progress report prepared by the Probation practitioner and discussing goals set at the initial hearing. While non-attendance should not trigger punitive measures such as breach, some partners would request and/or suggest that these reviews could be mandatory, by aligning them with Probation appointments. Many women interviewed believed that missing a review could lead to breach and imprisonment.
How do these courts operate in practice?
How are women actually experiencing them?
And where is there room for improvement?
These were the central questions guiding our recent qualitative evaluation of the GMWPSC, detailed in our newly released report: Listening to Women, Learning for Justice. Over a two-year period, we explored the impact and value of the GMWPSC model by gathering insights from women who participated in the process, as well as probation practitioners and magistrates. We conducted 57 hours of court observations and examined court environments to better understand the sensory experience for women accessing court spaces, post sentencing.
Key findings
At the heart of our research were the voices of women who had taken part in GMWPSC reviews. Their testimonies revealed both the strengths of the model and the challenges it presents. While many appreciated the consistency and recognition that PSCs offered, they overwhelmingly emphasised the transformative support provided by probation practitioners and Women’s Centres.
The courtroom environment was often described as intimidating and stigmatising. The formal setting and emotionally charged atmosphere left some women feeling judged and overwhelmed. When women attended in person to court, they faced a panel of three magistrates, a legal advisor, and a probation officer, with little to no advocacy on their side. This elevated the power imbalance women felt within the review, which significantly shaped their perception of justice and the relevancy of the review. Women were asked to share three words that they would use to describe their experiences of accessing GMWPSCs. The varied perceptions can be seen within the word cloud below.
There was a strong call for increased participation, ownership, and visibility, which underpinned the need to integrate lived experience into every aspect of PSC design and delivery. This could also strengthen the information sharing opportunities and could enhance women’s perception of relevancy, through an increase of tailored support provisions.
Report Recommendations
Our report outlines practical recommendations to enhance the GMWPSC model. These include:
- Reconsidering courtroom spaces and more towards less intimidating and mutual spaces to create more inclusive and equitable reviews.
- Prioritising and including lived expertise within review panel recruitment, training, and review processes.
- Listening to women and learn from their experiences, to design a justice system that is more responsive, equitable, and supportive.
Our report Listening to Women, Learning for Justice includes more detailed recommendations to strengthen the model, to create more meaningful, compassionate and inclusive PSC review experiences for women.
