Problem-Solving Courts for Women

Why read this evidence review?

This evidence review provides an in-depth look at women’s problem solving courts (WPSC) which are endorsed by the Sentencing Review as an important component in preventing the unnecessary incarceration of women. Dr Sarah Waite and Dr Alexandria Bradley review the existing evidence base – to which they are significant contributors – exploring the internal context and critical success factors.

What are Women’s Problem-Solving Courts?

Problem-solving courts gained popularity in the US in the 1980s and are underpinned by ideas of rehabilitation, therapeutic jurisprudence and problem-oriented policing (Centre for Justice Innovation, 2021). The idea behind them is to have the court at the centre of the monitoring and multi-agency process, acting as an orchestrator of the support and interventions women receive whilst also promoting compliance.

Currently, there are four models of WPSCs across the UK (Armstrong and Minson, 2025). These include the longstanding Greater Manchester model, established in 2014 (Deacon, 2023), and the Intensive Supervision Court for women in Birmingham, which is part of a statutory Ministry of Justice pilot, as well as a WPSC in Aberdeen and the Female ‘Offenders’ Court in Glasgow.