Ladies of Lost Causes is the end product of a multi-method qualitative study of the work of the Griffins Society, a voluntary organisation working for the care and rehabilitation of female offenders in prison and in the community (http://www.thegriffinsscoiety.org.uk). Established in 1965, the Griffins (as they became known) provided hostel accommodation over a 30-year period to women who offend. At their peak, they managed five hostels with bed-spaces for 65 women. In the mid-1990s, they transferred these hostels to a larger organisation and focused their activities on promoting best practice for women in the criminal justice system.

Judith Rumgay was invited by the Griffins to evaluate their contribution to the rehabilitation of female offenders. She appears to have been given considerable freedom to decide both the focus of what she describes as a ‘retrospective evaluation’ (p. 1) and the most appropriate research design. She makes it explicit in the book that her intention was never ‘to produce an enthusiastic endorsement of the Griffin's Society enterprise’ (p. 6). On the contrary, she confesses to ‘instinctive scepticism’ (p. 6) about the impact of the Griffin's philanthropic mission, a scepticism she discovered was shared by many who encountered the Griffins.

To understand the reasons for such scepticism, it is helpful to know a little about the Griffins Society. They comprised of wealthy, upper-middle-class women who gave up considerable amounts of their time to develop residential provision for some of the most ‘troubled and troublesome women to be found in the penal system’ (Frances Heidensohn, foreword, p. xii). For the Griffins, the motivation to help women in need was straightforward: to use their social influence to rehabilitate female offenders. However, many observers questioned the apparent incongruity between the lives of the Griffins and the women they sought to help and the Griffin often became victims of prejudice relating to gender, class and their status as volunteers. Frequently they were portrayed as ‘just ladies who lunch’ or nicknamed ‘Lady Bountiful’ or ‘Lady of the manor’ (p. 47).

The study is based upon a ‘treasure trove’ (back cover) of archival material combined with interview and observational data. Some detail is provided about the data sources in the introduction and the difficulties that impinged upon the research process are also mentioned, but confined to approximately two pages. There was scope to expand this discussion to allow the reader to evaluate the quality of the data upon which the research was based. For example, a chapter is devoted to an analysis of 78 case files of hostel residents, but no information is provided about how the sample was selected.

Ladies of Lost Causes is divided into eight chapters. Together they provide an insight into the distinctive model of care provided by the Griffins. Rumgay is careful to point out that their approach was not explicitly feminist but, to use Carlen's (Reference Carlen1989) terms, was ‘women-wise’ and was based on a ‘unique combination of maternalism, courage and “hands on” involvement’ (p. 46). One of the strengths of the book is the richness of the data and the evident care that has been taken to include the voices of Griffins themselves as well as they who lived and worked in their residential projects. Whilst there are some linkages to relevant literature, there was a missed opportunity in the book to compare the findings of the study to the small number of studies on residential work with female offenders. For example, Alana Barton's (Reference Barton2005) case study of a voluntary managed probation hostel for female offenders used a similar methodological approach, but adopted a critical criminological stance questioning the appropriateness of attempts to regulate and control women in semi-penal institutions.

The book offers a case study of the implications of the professionalisation of the voluntary sector, which Rumgay suggests was the principal reason why the Griffins had to ‘hang up their boots’ (p. 243) and retreat from service delivery in the mid-1990s. The National Offender Management Service is currently introducing new commissioning arrangements that will allow the voluntary sector to bid alongside the public and private sector to deliver services to offenders. The experience of the Griffins provides a cautionary tale as to what might happen to small voluntary sector organisations offering specialist provision once the new arrangements come in to being.

Ladies of Lost Causes deserves to be read widely. Whilst the most obvious potential readers are those with academic and/or professional interests relating to the rehabilitation of female offenders, it should also appeal to those interested in the contribution of the voluntary sector in the mixed economy of welfare.