Gendering police custody: Examining women’s experiences of police custody in West Yorkshire Police
Gendering police custody is a new collaborative project between the Universities of Warwick (Prof Jackie Hodgson & Prof Vanessa Munro), Sheffield (Prof Layla Skinns) and Cardiff (Dr Roxanna Dehaghani), together with West Yorkshire Police.
The Baird Report recently highlighted urgent concerns about gendered police custody, but little is known about the applicability of those findings beyond Greater Manchester Police. Through a more systematic qualitative and quantitative analysis, this Police STAR-funded research investigates women’s lived experiences of police custody in West Yorkshire, identifying challenges and best practice solutions.
This 12-month project employs three researchers at the University of Sheffield: Lexine Smyth, Research Associate; Dr Angela Sorsby, Statistician; and Katie Weir, Research Assistant. Police Support is provided by Warren Walker, Phillip Sanderson and John Tendall, all of West Yorkshire Police. A previous scoping study suggested that officers were reluctant to recognise gender as a significant feature of detainees' experience. Gender did pose a challenge for police, however, when dealing with female detainees who may also be victims of male violence or exploitation, some of whom prefer to be dealt with by female staff. This was often not possible as custody blocks tend to be male-dominated spaces, with very few female officers available in many instance. Through a more systematic qualitative and quantitative analysis, this research investigates women’s lived experiences of police custody in West Yorkshire, identifying challenges and best practice solution.
The following research questions are addressed in the project:
- How do detainee populations vary by gender and how does this impact, if at all, on case outcomes? Are there other intersections e.g. with ethnicity, offence type and arrest/volunteer status?
- How do women detainees describe their lived experiences of police custody? How is gender relevant?
- How do staff describe women detainees’ experiences of, and needs in, police custody? How is gender relevant?
- To what extent do existing laws, policies and guidance address the needs of a diverse range of women detainees, many of whom are domestic abuse and sexual trauma survivors? What changes – if any – are required for a more gender-responsive approach to women in police custody?
Methods - The project involves the collection of a range of quantitative and qualitative data
- Quantitative and qualitative analysis of police custody records;
- Observation in two police custody suites in West Yorkshire Police;
- Interviews with West Yorkshire Police custody staff;
- Interviews and focus groups with women who have experienced police custody in West Yorkshire. In the study, woman or women refers to those 16 years and above, who are designated female from birth or come subsequently to identify as women, meaning that, if encountered, trans and gender fluid women will be included in the research.
- Observation of relevant West Yorkshire scrutiny panels, such as on strip searching, women, use of force etc.;
- Observation of relevant interventions provided to women as part of an Out-of-Court Resolutions.