More women in prison

The "soaring" female prison population is something I have been aware of for some time. Criminologist Greg Newbold's comment is really interesting and in keeping with a tendency he has to pour oil on troubled waters.

"The female population tends to be very volatile because it is quite small. There have been more women in prison, but there have been a lot more men in prison, too," he said.

Women's imprisonment rates had been higher in the 1940s and the 1880s, when they reached 16% of the total prison population, so the current situation should not be alarming, he said.

Now this is sheer speculation from me but in the 1940's the male population was severely depleted on the back of WW11. In the 1880s prostitution and drunkeness were rife. The Women's temperance movement was the reaction to this.

Comparing 2006 to the 1880s is probably more useful than to the 1940s.