Question 1 – The Bangkok Rules
Pathways feminism has impacted not only on the development of criminological theory but also the advancement of gender specific policy and practice to better meet the needs of women in the criminal
justice system. In 2010, the United Nations adopted special guidelines for the treatment of female prisoners, the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and other Non-Custodial
Measures (the ‘Bangkok Rules’). Although these rules have yet to be fully implemented, they constitute an improvement in international law for women in custody.
Write an essay that addresses the following questions:
1) What is pathways feminism and how has it impacted on the development of criminological theory? Summarise the theory, any data and/or research supporting it.
2) What are the “Bangkok Rules’? Provide sufficient background information regarding their development and purpose.
3) Identify one example of how pathways feminism may have impacted on the development of the ‘Bangkok Rules.’ To answer this you will need to identify a key theme within the Bangkok Rules and
demonstrate how this developed from a feminist pathways understanding of crime.
4) Keeping your example/key theme in mind, from a feminist pathways approach, provide two examples as to how the Bangkok Rules might impact practice to better meet the needs of women in prison?