The following study aims discovering the factors that have influence the drastic increase of female prisoner in general. Furthermore, special attention to the causes of the differential incarceration rates for women in New South Wales and Victoria is given. Despite similar demographics, Victoria's female prison population is only a third of the one in New South Wales, with 30 female prisoners per 100 000 adult females compared to merely 13 female prisoners per 100 000 adult females in Victoria (ABS, 2009: 27) As such, this study will focus on changes and differences in sentencing and bail policy and legislation, as well as police practices, approach to