The Corston Report - reading between the lines: towards an understanding of government policy in relation to vulnerable women offenders

In 2006 the Government commissioned Lady Corston to conduct a review of women with particular vulnerabilites in the criminal justice system. At the launch of the Corston report in July 2007 there was optimism that at last there would be movement and change, as it incorporated radical proposals to improve the situation of vulnerable women and particularly those who came before the Courts. very quickly this gave way to concern that the Report might become the most recent in a string of initiatives where no, or very limited action would be taken since the overtly enthusiastic Government response was was not matched by its guarded tone in the 'small print'. Many proposals were watered down by suggested partial adoption and numerous provisos. This paper examines the discrepancies between the Report and the Government policy response. Using textual analysis and specific examples it suggests how policy initiatives might be affected. I conclude that a great oppotunity is being missed as the Government and the public are not sufficiently receptive to Corston's insistence on the difference and multiple difficulties of female offenders, an idea which is supported significantly by research into female offending. Instead they appear to be strongly influenced by simplistic views of women's offending supported by the popular press which fly in the face of research evidence.