SCOTTISH COMMUNITY JUSTICE AND WOMEN: PROGRESS OR PERIPHERAL CONCERN?

Citation

Cleary J (2026) SCOTTISH COMMUNITY JUSTICE AND WOMEN: PROGRESS OR PERIPHERAL CONCERN?. British Journal of Community Justice, 21 (1), pp. 24-40. https://mmuperu.co.uk/bjcj/wp-content/uploads/sites/441/2026/06/BJCJ-20-3-25-41-1.pdf

Abstract
This paper critically examines the development of community justice for women in Scotland, questioning whether gender-responsive principles have been meaningfully embedded in policy and practice. While successive reviews and policy commitments have emphasised the need to divert women from custody through community-based alternatives, the reality has been a sustained prioritisation of punitive responses, with investment disproportionately directed toward reforming the female prison estate rather than enhancing community justice provision. Despite well-regarded programmes such as problem-solving courts, mentoring schemes, and women's community justice centres, the landscape remains inconsistent and underdeveloped due to fragmented service provision, short-term funding models, and a lack of strategic leadership. The paper argues that without sustained investment and structural reform, Scotland's justice system will continue to rely on imprisonment as the default response to women's offending. In conclusion, it invites reflection on how Scotland can move beyond rhetorical commitments to embed a truly transformative, gender-responsive community justice approach.

Keywords
Community Justice; Women; Scotland; Community Sentences; Gender- Responsive Justice; Scottish Justice Policy