The first two objectives of the strategy (intervening earlier and a greater proportion of women managed in the community) each depend on improved community services for women.15 The Ministry told us the importance of work done in the community is “absolutely well understood”16 Despite this the Ministry has spent only £9.5 million on grants for community services over four years (2018–19 to 2021–22).17 The Ministry has not been able to make a full assessment of how much it needs to spend on community services because it has declined to set targets so has not set out the reduction in the proportion of women entering different stages of the CJS that it expects to see. It considers that it would be inappropriate to set out the extent of what it is aiming to achieve as this depends on other bodies that are independent of it such as the judiciary.18