The key question raised by this research is 'to what extent does living in a rural area impact on the successful resettlement of female offenders and the specific disadvantages that they face’. The research examines how aspects of rural crime may differ from urban crime, and the particular difficulties female offenders in a rural environment face when complying with a court order or prison licence. The main focus of the research is the availability and accessibility of community based partnerships and agencies in rural areas. The research is based on interviews with eighteen women who were interviewed in the probation office where they reported – five in Carlisle, eight in Barrow-in-Furness, four in Whitehaven and one in Workington. Key-workers from various agencies were also interviewed and the problems of delivering a service to offenders in rural areas discussed

The objective of this project was to examine the processes that assist with effective resettlement for juvenile girls with specific reference to the work of the Rivendell Unit* by:
• identifying the concerns that young women and staff have about effective resettlement specifically in terms of gender;
• identifying successful current practice for this group in resettlement;
• identifying barriers to effective resettlement; and
• charting the experience of resettlement for these young women and follow-up issues over a set period of time.

This research project focusses on older women in the criminal justice system and aimed to:
• ascertain what proportion of older women offenders (50+) make up the growing prison population;
• examine community sentences and other punishments given as an alternative to custody, for this group;
• provide a focus on the rehabilitation and resettlement of older women on their release from prison, especially those with drug and alcohol problems;
• examine the role of outside agencies in the resettlement of older women offenders and to determine their effectiveness.
The research is based on interviews with offenders, magistrates, judges, justices’ clerks, probation officers, representatives of voluntary organisations, a deputy prison governor and government ministers.

Griffins Research Paper 2002/01 is the report of a study of the resettlement issues facing women lifers before release. This follow-up research focussed on the women’s actual experience of release:
• to explore whether the women had been adequately prepared for release and whether they received sufficient support to assist with their reintegration into the community; and
• to consider whether the reality of release corresponded with the women’s expectations before release.

The importance of housing in the resettlement of women ex-offenders is well established. Supporting People (SP) is a UK government programme which took effect in April 2003, bringing together at local authority level the main partners of housing, health, social services and probation to plan strategically and commission services which are cost effective, reliable, transparent and needs-led. This research project carried out between October 2003 and December 2004 sought, through interviews and document
review, to explore the early impact of SP at both national and local levels on planning and provision for women ex-offenders. A comparative perspective was secured by review of two community based ex-offender initiatives outside the UK.

Women offenders face particular challenges on resettlement into the community and although some issues will be the same for all women prisoners, women lifers face distinct issues and these are often overlooked. In particular, a lifer will only be released when she has convinced the Parole Board that she is a sufficiently low risk to be managed in the community. An essential aspect of this assessment is the release plan and whether it provides sufficient support for effective reintegration. Resettlement is, therefore, of particular significance to women lifers because it can impact on their chance of being released and of being recalled. The purpose of this study was to research the range of resettlement issues facing women lifers from a legal perspective. The focus was women lifers’ preparation for release in the context of the life sentence; the parole board process and the life licence.