The first three chapters seek to identify the extent and nature of female offending, the factors that appear to be associated with women’s involvement in offending, and how female offending is responded to by the criminal justice system. Chapter 4 examines the concepts of risk and need in the context of women and offending, with particular reference to the needs of women in prison. Chapter 5 highlights the high incidence of drug misuse among female offenders and discusses contemporary responses to women in the criminal justice system with drug and/or alcohol problems. Chapter 6 discusses the development of offending behavior programs for women in prison and in the community in England and Wales in the context of program accreditation. Chapter 7 examines the role of probation and parole in responding to the needs of women who offend and considers whether women are helped more and do better after prison if they are supervised on parole. The following two chapters (8 and 9) focus on health problems experienced by female offenders. Chapter 10 considers the experiences of women prisoners and their children, including how women in prison maintain their links with their children, as well as family connections and parenting roles. The following three chapters (11, 12, and 13) consider how some of the other practical barriers that prevent women’s effective integration in the community may be addressed, such as education programs, employment, and housing. Chapter 13 concludes this book by discussing the themes which have been developed in the book and comes to some conclusions about what does and what does not work for women offenders and suggests a way forward. This book sets out to better understand the nature, circumstances, and causes of female offending and identifies effective responses to women who offend. Figures, tables, references, index and appendix