The United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-Custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules) were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2010. The Bangkok Rules make a strong statement about the fair and equitable treatment of women throughout their contact with the criminal justice system, including when in prison (United Nations General Assembly, 2010). To meet the goal of gender equity and in turn the needs of women in prison, we must understand who the women in our prison systems are. Research should therefore be conducted on female prisoners’ backgrounds and their journeys into prison. As per the Bangkok Rules (67 and 70[2]), efforts must be made to “organize, and promote comprehensive, results orientated research on the offences committed, by women, [and] the reasons that trigger women’s confrontation with the criminal justice system” and that this research be published and disseminated to allow the development of policies and practices that, “aim to improve the outcomes and fairness to women” (United Nations General Assembly, 2010: 23).