The Community Order and the Suspended Sentence Order were introduced by the 2003 Criminal Justice Act. This article reviews their use for women offenders in the context of the position, needs and treatment of women in the criminal justice system. It analyses current practice in the use of the new orders and addresses the question of whether women are overburdened by the numbers and types of requirements imposed. It reviews statistics on the use of breach and discusses how far, if at all, these orders have affected the use of immediate custody for women.
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