This model for reform details how policy makers and criminal justice practitioners can respond effectively and positively to reduce the unnecessary imprisonment of women for drug‐related offences in line with international standards. It draws on the report, Sentencing of women convicted of drug-related offences, which includes findings from a study of 18 jurisdictions undertaken by Linklaters LLP for Penal Reform International and co-published with the International Drug Policy Consortium. Overall, the study found that women’s complex reasons and pathways into criminal justice systems for drug-related offences are not adequately reflected in legislation, sentencing guidelines where they exist, or sentencing practices across the 18 jurisdictions. Drug‐related offences are known to have a particular and disproportionate impact on women. In 2018 the United Nations estimated that 35 per cent of women in prison worldwide are imprisoned for drug offences, compared to 19 per cent of men. This proportion, however, increases dramatically in Latin American and Asian countries. In Brazil, for example, 62 per cent of women in prison in 2017 were there because of drug‐related offences – compared to a quarter of men.
10 points for a model of reform in Gender-sensitive drug policies for women
Penal Reform International (PRI)
PRI & IDPC (2021). Gender-sensitive drug policies for women. Penal Reform International and International Drug Policy Consortium. PRI_10-point-plan_Women-drugs-WEB.pdf (penalreform.org)
