Figure 1: Length of sentences being served by women. 3–5 Years (21%) Over 5 years (20%) 2–3 years (25%) Life imprisonment (8%) 6 months (4%) 6 months to 1 year (8%) 1–2 years (14%) Auckland Region Women’s Correctional Facility (ARWCF) was by far the largest of the three prisons, housing 62% of all women prisoners. It has an operational capacity of 456 beds. At the end of 2019 it housed 411 women, 44% of whom were on remand. Arohata Prison has an operational capacity of 187 beds, and at the end of 2019 housed 143 women. The majority (106) of whom were sentenced, with only 26% of women on remand. Christchurch Women’s Prison, with an operational capacity of 134 beds, housed 112 women, 45% of whom were on remand. The women in Aotearoa New Zealand’s prisons 2.2 Women in prison are a vulnerable population with high and complex needs and requirements. Many come from disenfranchised, socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. Many have been at the receiving end of violence and abuse- sexual, physical, and mental- throughout their lives, leading to trauma, high mental health needs, alcohol and drug dependency, as well as gender-specific healthcare needs. Another common feature of women’s imprisonment is the overrepresentation of indigenous women and women of colour.13 In New Zealand, there is a grossly disproportionate number of Mäori women in prisons, making for as many as 13 18 Shalev, S., ‘Solitary confinement is even harder for women: should it stop?’ Association for the Prevention of Torture Expert Blog, March 22, 2021 (https://www.apt.ch/en/blog/solitary-confinement-harder-womenshould-it-stop)