Women Crime in Serbia and Social Response

Female convicts, particularly those imprisoned, constitute particularly vulnerable social group, whose vulnerability derives from unique pathways that lead women to crime, their overall position in the society and gender roles internalized through traditional socialization. This is reflected in the structure of women crime as well. Globally, women constitute minority in the total number of convicted and incarcerated persons. Consequently, specific needs and requirements of female convicts, both during the criminal proceedings and in prisons are neglected and marginalized, which negatively impacts women’s mental and physical health, well-being, and welfare; diminishing opportunities for effective and efficient reintegration. Taking that as a starting point, the aim of the paper is to shed light on the crime of adult women in Serbia, its dynamics, structure and specificities during the last two decades, on the one hand, and penal policy, on the other. Particular focus is on analyzing the structure of criminal sanctions imposed to women, and percentage of custodial and non-custodial (alternative or community-based) sanctions. The paper is based on a triangulation of data collected from different sources, focusing on official (administrative) data. Based on standards foreseen in the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-Custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules), the paper concludes with arguing for broader use of non-custodial sanctions for women in Serbia.