Gendering police custody: Examining women鈥檚 experiences of police custody in West Yorkshire Police
Gendering police custody is a collaborative project between the Universities of 海角社区 (Prof Jackie Hodgson & Prof Vanessa Munro), Sheffield (Prof Layla Skinns) and Cardiff (Dr Roxanna Dehaghani), together with West Yorkshire Police.
Building on the urgent concerns around gendered police custody highlighted in The , as well as a previous scoping study, this research investigates women鈥檚 lived experiences of police custody in West Yorkshire, identifying challenges and best practice solutions. The project employed three researchers at the University of Sheffield: Lexine Smyth, Research Associate; , Statistician; and Katie Weir, Research Assistant. Police Support was provided by Warren Walker, Phillip Sanderson and John Tendall, all of West Yorkshire Police.
The findings
The empirical research showed a complex picture and potential risks of inappropriately criminalising women in domestic abuse and assault on emergency worker cases, as well as challenges with viewing all women as vulnerable. Police custody was often experienced by women as painful owing, for example, to uncertainties about the wellbeing of their children and insecurities related to being in a male-dominated environment.
Measures in place to respond to these challenges included diversionary measures, such as non-authorisation of detention, voluntary interviews and OOCRs, and additional support provided by women welfare officers. Whether these measures were routinely offered and provided, however, was impacted by staff busyness, perceived deservingness of women suspects and wider pressures on custody and on others that work there.
Publications
Skinns, L., Smyth, L., Weir, K., Dehaghani, R., Hodgson, J., Munro, V.E. and Sorsby, A. (2026) (Occasional Paper 13)
Skinns, L., Smyth, L., Weir, K., Dehaghani, R., Hodgson, J., Munro, V.E. and Sorsby, A. (2026) (Occasional Paper 15)
The following research questions were 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鈥� 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 鈥� if any 鈥� are required for a more gender-responsive approach to women in police custody?
Methods - The project involved the collection of a range of quantitative and qualitative data
- Analysis of West Yorkshire Police custody record data from 1 January 2025 - 31 December 2025;
- 179 hours of observation in two police custody suites in West Yorkshire Police, as well as relevant Out of Court Resolution (OOCR) interventions and scrutiny panels;
- 43 interviews with West Yorkshire Police custody staff and other West Yorkshire criminal justice practitioners;
- Interviews with 9 national-level police custody stakeholders
- Interviews and focus groups with 44 women who have experienced police custody in West Yorkshire.