Asking the women: How domestic relationships shape women's pathways into the criminal justice system

Women's pathways into the criminal justice system are overwhelmingly shaped by what has been done to them, not simply by who they are. Nearly 70% of women in prison report having experienced domestic abuse, and 57% report having been victims of domestic violence as adults. Crucially, domestic abuse does not only harm women: for many it is a direct pathway into the criminal justice system itself, as women are criminalised through their survival responses to the abuse. Many are coerced into offending by partners or prosecuted for actions that cannot be understood outside of the relational context within which they occurred. Yet criminal justice responses continue to focus primarily on the offence itself, rather than the relational harm, trauma and coercion that frequently precede it. This article presents findings from a qualitative study exploring the experiences and perceived impacts of women's domestic relationships prior to their involvement with the criminal justice system, drawing on the lived experience of five previously criminalised adult women in the UK.