Women's Experiences of Electronic Monitoring

Women’s distinct needs and experiences are increasingly recognised in criminal justice policy and practice. Despite this, requirements which make up a community order, including electronically monitored curfews, are imposed without adequate consideration of possible gender differences in how they are experienced. This study seeks to address this situation by exploring women’s experiences of electronically monitored curfews. Through the use of semi-structured interviews, the research explores women’s expectations and understanding of electronic monitoring (EM) at the start of the sentence and throughout, interactions with involved agencies and the impact on lifestyles, attitudes and behaviours. The findings of the study show that overall, while similarities can be drawn between the women interviewed, they were not a homogenous group and did not all experience EM in the same way. Instead, their lifestyles, relationships, self-identities and existing knowledge of the criminal justice and EM processes were all influential to their experiences. On this basis, the thesis argues that electronically monitored curfews should be implemented in a way which recognises individual differences among those who experience it. Rather than differentiate between monitored individuals on the basis of gender, factors which may impact upon experiences should be accounted for in the delivery of EM. By doing so, electronic monitoring has the potential to act as an appropriate and useful community sentence for women.