We Call on MPs in Parliament to Listen to Young Women in the Criminal Justice System

On Tuesday, 28th June, Agenda and the Alliance for Youth Justice (AYJ) held a Parliamentary Reception, as part of our Young Women’s Justice Project. Hosted by Florence Eshalomi MP, the reception brought together key decision-makers and women with lived experience to discuss ways to effectively respond to the needs and improve the experience of young women in contact with the criminal justice system.

The Young Women’s Justice Project has run as a partnership between Agenda, alliance for women and girls at risk, and the Alliance for Youth Justice (formerly Standing Committee for Youth Justice). The project was funded by Lloyds Bank Foundation, focusing on young women (aged 17 to 25) in contact with the criminal justice system.

Over the last two years, we have produced one literature review and two briefing papers – one with a focus on girls transitioning from the youth to adult justice system as they turn 18, and one with a focus on young women’s experiences of violence, abuse and exploitation. Most recently, we published our final report, “We’ve not given up”: Young women surviving the criminal justice system.

Key findings from the report show that:

• Young women in contact with the criminal justice system have limited access to specialist support despite extreme levels of need, and face blame, re-traumatisation and discrimination whilst in contact with statutory services
• Up to 90% of girls in contact with the youth justice system have experienced abuse from a family member or someone they trusted
• 63% of young women and girls serving community sentences have experienced rape or domestic abuse
• Disbelieved and struggling to make their voices heard, young women report that they have lost trust in the system, particularly when they have been held in police custody or prison
• Black, Asian and minoritised young women and young women with experience of care face greater barriers in accessing safety and support as overlapping forms of stigma and discrimination put them at a greater risk of criminalisation
• To end the cycle of harm, inequality and offending, decision-makers must work to rebuild trust

During the event, we were lucky enough to hear from two young women with lived experience of the criminal justice system who expressed how their interactions with the police, courts, prison and probation services confirmed their deep mistrust in services and explained how their specific needs were overlooked.

One young woman, Dani, said that, “I was treated unfairly. I wasn’t ever listened to. The police in particular didn’t understand where I was coming from. I was treated like a criminal.”

While Razia, a young Muslim woman from the Muslim Women in Prison Project (MWIP), shared that there was a failure to recognise the overlapping forms of discrimination she faced, including judgement from her own community, which she described as “a double sentence.”

Following the reception, we are excited to continue the work of the Young Women’s Justice Project and look forward to seeing the experiences of young women in contact with the criminal justice system taking priority in policy.

As our host, the wonderful Florence Eshalomi MP, indicated, it is only together that we can create change.

Florence said, “The longer we continue to have these conversations… that’s the key thing for us to address this and make sure we see change which is what the young women and girls deserve… Together, we can change the agenda.”

To find out what you can do to support young women and girls in the criminal justice system, see our Action Card here.

With thanks to: Florence Eshalomi MP for hosting the reception; Jackie Doyle-Price, our keynote speaker; Fiona Mactaggart, Chair of Agenda’s Trustees; our esteemed panel speakers; the Alliance for Youth Justice, for collaborating with us on the project; the young women and girls with lived experience who contributed to the reception and everyone who attended.