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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
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Results for female inmates
120 results foundAuthor: Reichert, Jessica Title: Victimization and Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Female Prisoners in Illinois Summary: The number of women in prison has increased both statewide and nationally in recent decades. Most females in state prisons are incarcerated for drug or property offenses. Research has revealed that incarcerated women often have histories of being abused and that many are dealing with mental health issues or substance abuse. This study examines female victimization across the life course of women at three female-only Illinois Department of Corrections facilities. A random sample of 163 inmates was interviewed, and interview questions concentrated on participants' histories of substance abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, stalking and emotional abuse, trauma, and help-seeking strategies related to these issues. Details: Chicago: Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, 2010. 64p. Source: Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 118302 Keywords: Child AbuseEmotional AbuseFemale InmatesSexual AbuseStalkingSubstance AbuseVictimization |
Author: Convery, Una Title: Addressing Offending by Women: A Literature Review Summary: This report provides a review of recent published literature relating to women's offending behavior and approaches adopted to address offending by women. The literature is primarily drawn from England and Wales, and Scotland, with some reference to international research, in particular in Canada and draws upon research, albeit limited relating to women who offend in Northern Ireland. The report is broken down into the following chapters: Reducing women's offending; Alternatives to prosecution and custody; Community supervision; Women's centre provision; and Gender-specific approach to custody. Details: Belfast: Statistics and Research Branch, Criminal Justice Directorate, Northern Ireland Office, 2010. Source: NIO Research and Statistical Series: Report No. 21 Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: Shelf Number: 118430 Keywords: Alternatives to IncarcerationFemale InmatesFemale Offenders (United Kingdom)Prisoners (Females) |
Author: Great Britain. HM Inspectorate of Prisons Title: Women in Prison: A Short Thematic Review Summary: Much has been written about the specific needs and characteristics of the women’s prison population – most notably the Corston report, which strongly advocated the development of alternatives to custody and alternative forms of custody. Currently, over 4,300 women are in prison in England and Wales, almost the same number as there were at the same time last year. This report draws together the findings of the most recent inspection reports on all 14 current women’s prisons in England and Wales, and also compares the findings of women prisoners surveyed during 2006–08 with those surveyed in 2003–05. It therefore provides an overview of the conditions and treatment in women’s prisons, and an account of any significant changes in women’s perceptions of the prison experience. Details: London: HM Inspectorate of Prisons, 2010. 81p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: Shelf Number: 119400 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale OffendersPrisons |
Author: Villanueva, Chandra Kring Title: Mothers, Infants and Imprisonment: A National Look at Prison Nurseries and Community-Based Alternatives Summary: This is the first U.S. national report on prison nursery programs. The report examines the expansion of prison nursery programs across the U.S. These programs allow incarcerated women to keep their newborns with them in prison for a finite period of time. The report also looks at community-based residential parenting programs, which allow women to serve criminal justice sentences with their infants in a non-prison setting. The report finds that the number of prison-based nursery programs is growing, but such programs are still relatively rare. Though every state has seen a dramatic rise in its women’s prison population over the past three decades, only nine states have prison nursery programs in operation or under development. Of the nine prison nursery programs existing or in development, four were created within the last five years. Details: New York: Women's Prison Association, Institute on Women and Criminal Justice, 2009. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 1, 2010 at: http://www.wpaonline.org/pdf/Mothers%20Infants%20and%20Imprisonment%202009.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://www.wpaonline.org/pdf/Mothers%20Infants%20and%20Imprisonment%202009.pdf Shelf Number: 119685 Keywords: Children of PrisonersCommunity-based CorrectionsFemale InmatesPrison Nurseries |
Author: Atabay, Tomris Title: Handbook for Prison Managers and Policymakers on Women and Imprisonment Summary: The present handbook forms part of a series of tools developed by The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to support countries in implementing the rule of law and the development of criminal justice reform. It is designed to be used by all actors involved in the criminal justice system, including policymakers, legislators, prison managers, prison staff, members of non-governmental organizations and other individuals interested or active in the field of criminal justice and prison reform. It can be used in a variety of contexts, both as a reference document and as a training tool. The main focus of the handbook is female prisoners and guidance on the components of a gender-sensitive approach to prison management, taking into account the typical background of female prisoners and their special needs as women in prison. Details: New York: United Nations, 2008. 117p. Source: Internet Resource: Criminal Justice Handbook Series: Accessed September 22, 2010 at: http://www.unodc.org/documents/justice-and-prison-reform/women-and-imprisonment.pdf Year: 2008 Country: International URL: http://www.unodc.org/documents/justice-and-prison-reform/women-and-imprisonment.pdf Shelf Number: 113390 Keywords: Correctional InstitutionsFemale InmatesFemale PrisonersPrison Administration |
Author: Victoria. Parliament. Drugs and cRime Prevention Committee Title: Inquiry into the Impact of Drug-Related Offending On Female Prisoner Numbers - Interim Report Summary: The Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee and was given the mandate to examine the impact of drug-related offending on female prisoner numbers. Specifically, the committee was asked to (a) examine the impact of drug-related crime on the female prisoner population; (b) review the demographic profiles of women in custody for drug offences and the types of drug offences; (c) examine underlying causal factors which may influence drug-related offending and repeat offending that result in women entering custody; and (d) recommend strategies to reduce drug-related offending and repeat offending by women, including strategies to address underlying causal factors. Whilst the Committee was unable to complete the reference, particularly as further investigation into the recent increase in prison numbers is required, we were concerned about some of the information provided to us both in submissions and during public hearings. This evidence particularly related to the problems women face when in prison, when released from prison and their high rates of recidivism. The information provided to us was almost unanimous – the housing problem in particular being identified as a significant issue for many post-release women. Accordingly, we have made some recommendations for the post November 2010 government to consider and we hope the 57th Parliament of Victoria will make further recommendations on the other issues we have raised. Details: Melbourne: Government Printer for State of Victoria, 2010. 118p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 25, 2010 at: http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/dcpc/Women_prisoners/Female_prisoners_inquiry_-_interim_report.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Australia URL: http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/dcpc/Women_prisoners/Female_prisoners_inquiry_-_interim_report.pdf Shelf Number: 120086 Keywords: Drug Abuse and CrimeFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersHousingRecidivismReentry |
Author: Centre for the Human Rights of Imprisoned People Title: Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Women in Victorian Prisons Summary: The number of women imprisoned in Victoria has increased by 25% over the past year, with a disproportionate number of the women imprisoned coming from Calturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds. The number of women born in Vietnam who are imprisoned in Victoria has almost doubled during the period of June 2008 to June 2009. There are currently more than 300 women imprisoned in Victoria, which is the highest number of women imprisoned in the state at any one time since prior to Federation. This dramatic increase is therefore unprecedented and extremely alarming, particularly as it affects women of CALD backgrounds. This project examines the situation of CALD women who are imprisoned in Victoria. To do this, the project follows up the serious issues of discrimination raised in the Request for a Systemic Review of Discrimination against Women in Victorian Prisons, made in 2005 by the Federation of Community Legal Centres FCLC and Victorian Council of Social Services VCOSS to the Equal Opportunity Commission Victoria (EOCV). The 2005 Request for Systemic Review raised significant allegations of discrimination affecting the women held in custody in Victoria. Although this discrimination was attributed firstly to the gender of prisoners, the Request also identified specific areas of discrimination on the basis of race and cognitive ability by the State Government of Victoria in its management of the Victorian women’s prisons at Tarrengower and the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre at Deer Park. In relation to women from CALD backgrounds, the 2005 Request for Systemic Review contained significant anecdotal evidence highlighting incidents and practices of direct and indirect discrimination on the basis of race and religion that impacted on the day-to-day life of imprisoned CALD women. The report remains significant as the only detailed investigation and documentation of the treatment of CALD women in the Victorian prison system. Details: Flemington, VIC, AUS: Centre for the Human Rights of Imprisoned People, 2010. 51p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 26, 2010 at: http://www.apo.org.au/research/culturally-and-linguistically-diverse-women-victorian-prisons Year: 2010 Country: Australia URL: http://www.apo.org.au/research/culturally-and-linguistically-diverse-women-victorian-prisons Shelf Number: 120089 Keywords: DiscriminationFemale InmatesFemale OffendersMinority GroupsPrisoners |
Author: Fossey, Matt Title: Under the Radar: Women with Borderline Personality Disorder in Prison Summary: Women in prison are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems and self-harm. It is estimated that around a fifth of women in custody fulfil criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD), making it a significant issue for the prison health service and an expensive drain on limited prison management resources. Despite the principle of ‘equivalence of care’ in prison health care, guidelines for the management of BPD are rarely observed in prisons. In addition to health care deficits, the prison environment can be traumatic for women with BPD due to the hostile, punitive environment and the experience of incarceration. Family environments are significantly disrupted for all women on custodial sentences, with children frequently relocated and one in ten sent into social care. Women with BPD often have unstable family environments prior to being taken into custody, compounding the effect of this disruption. Looking ahead to future generations, this upset to family life may contribute to the effects of ‘transgenerational transmission’ of criminal behaviour and mental health problems. We recommend: Increased screening and appropriate diversion should be implemented to avoid custodial sentences where possible for women with BPD; Prison staff could benefit from increased training to raise awareness and improve the quality of care in prison; Where custodial sentences are necessary, evidence-based therapeutic interventions should be available to support women with BPD in prison; Where appropriate, evidence-based family interventions should be made available. Details: London: Centre for Mental Health, 2010. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 2, 2010 at: http://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/pdfs/under_the_radar.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/pdfs/under_the_radar.pdf Shelf Number: 120341 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Offenders (U.K.)Health CareMental Health ServicesMentally Ill Offenders |
Author: Saar, Malika Saada Title: Mothers Behind Bars: A State-by-State Analysis of Federal Policies on Conditions of Confinement for Pregnant and Parenting Women and the Effect on Their Children Summary: There are now more women behind bars than at any other point in U.S. history. Women have borne a disproportionate burden of the war on drugs, resulting in a monumental increase of women who are facing incarceration for the first time, overwhelmingly for non-violent offenses. This rampant incarceration has a devastating impact on families. Most of these women, unseen and largely forgotten, are mothers. Unfortunately, pregnant women, incarcerated women and their children are subject to federal and state correctional policies that fail to recognize their distinct needs or honor their families. The Rebecca Project and the National Women’s Law Center collaborated on this Report Card, which analyzes federal and state policies on prenatal care, shackling, and alternative sentencing programs and grades states on whether their policies help or harm incarcerated women in these key areas. This effort is intended to help advocates assess their own state’s policies affecting these significant phases of pregnancy, labor and delivery, and parenting. The Report Card also provides an analysis of related federal laws and policies regarding conditions of confinement for women in federal prisons and immigration detention facilities. Additionally, it assesses how the federal government funds state programs that serve incarcerated pregnant or parenting women. For reasons discussed below in the federal findings section, the federal government does not receive a grade. Rather, the Report Card identifies areas where the federal government is making commendable gains in the humane treatment of incarcerated women who are pregnant or parenting and provides specific recommendations for areas that need improvement. Details: Washington, DC: National Women's Law Center and the Rebecca Project for Human Rights, 2010. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 2, 2010 at: http://www.rebeccaproject.org/images/stories/files/mothersbehindbarsreport-2010.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.rebeccaproject.org/images/stories/files/mothersbehindbarsreport-2010.pdf Shelf Number: 120361 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFemale InmatesFemale OffendersPregnant Inmates |
Author: Walsh, Nastassia Title: When More Is Less: How a Larger Women's Jail in Baltimore Will Reduce Public Safety and Diminish Resources for Positive Social Investment Summary: Despite declines in the number of women being held in the Baltimore City Detention Center (BCDC, or “the jail”), the State of Maryland, which operates the jail, is planning a new women’s facility with twice the beds currently being used, with an ability to increase capacity to up to 1,024 women. Projections used for the planning of the new jail are based on old information and trends indicating an increase in crime, arrests and incarceration that never materialized. While the estimated operational costs for the new Women’s Detention Center are unavailable, the total project costs to plan and build it are estimated at $181 million, including planning and construction, to be completed in 2015. If Maryland insists on building a jail, instead of building a larger jail with the capacity to hold more than twice as many women as are currently detained, the State of Maryland and the Division of Pretrial Detention and Services should build a jail with fewer beds and more space for services and treatment, and develop a strategic plan for further reducing the number of women held pretrial in Baltimore City. As about nine out of 10 women in the Baltimore jail are still awaiting trial on the current offense, multiple options are available to help ensure that people return to court and receive any services or programs they need to avoid future involvement in the justice system. Through modest programs and interventions like reminder phone call systems, expanded and more substantive pretrial release supervision, and more justice system diversion, jail should be a rare last resort for women awaiting trial in Baltimore. Details: Washington, DC: Justice Policy Institute, 2011. 25p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 22, 2011 at: http://www.justicepolicy.org/images/upload/11-01_REP_WhenMoreisLess_MD-AC.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.justicepolicy.org/images/upload/11-01_REP_WhenMoreisLess_MD-AC.pdf Shelf Number: 120706 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Offenders (Baltimore)JailsPretrial Release |
Author: Bartels, Lorana Title: Good Practice in Women's Prisons: A Literature Review Summary: Good prison practices are essential for the wellbeing of prisoners and the wider community. Not only do they provide assistance to one of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups within society, but they also benefit the wider community by providing adequate support and services to a group of people who will ultimately return to the community. The purposes of incarceration not only include retribution, punishment, deterrence and incapacitation, but also rehabilitation. In order for a prison to achieve this, it is essential to have prison practice models that support reintegration, facilitate personal development and reduce recidivism rates. In this paper, the literature concerning examples of good practice in women’s prison systems in Australia is reviewed. Key international developments are also considered, although it is acknowledged that the potential for transfer of such models may at times be limited. Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2011. 78p. Source: Internet Resource: AIC Technical and Background Paper 41: Accessed February 15, 2011 at: http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/4/E/5/%7B4E5E4435-E70A-44DB-8449-3154E6BD81EB%7Dtbp041.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Australia URL: http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/4/E/5/%7B4E5E4435-E70A-44DB-8449-3154E6BD81EB%7Dtbp041.pdf Shelf Number: 120775 Keywords: Correctional ProgramsFemale InmatesFemale OffendersRehabilitation |
Author: McIvor, Gill Title: Understanding the Drivers of Female Imprisonment in Scotland Summary: Across jurisdictions, offending by women differs in a number of important ways from offending by men: it is less common, less frequent and less serious. Women are typically convicted of relatively minor crimes that pose little public risk and, because they are usually convicted of offences that are less serious than those committed by men, the sentences they receive are also different: for example, women are less likely than men to receive sentences of imprisonment. However, female imprisonment has increased dramatically in most western jurisdictions, including Scotland, over the last 15-20 years as evidenced by increases in the numbers of women given sentences of imprisonment, in daily female prison populations and in the rate of imprisonment of women. Moreover, because the rise in women’s imprisonment has outstripped parallel increases in the imprisonment of men, women now make up a greater proportion of prisoners. While the growth in female imprisonment is undisputed, what is less clear is what has fuelled it, particularly since it does not appear to have been solely – if at all - a reaction to increases in female crime. The analyses presented in this report aim to explore the factors driving the increase in female imprisonment in Scotland, where the number of women imprisoned has reached unprecedented levels. The growth in female imprisonment is of particular policy concern given the well documented impact of imprisonment on vulnerable women and their children and in light of recent policy initiatives to reduce the use of short custodial sentences in Scotland. Details: Edinburgh: Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, 2011. 80p. Source: Internet Resource:Report No. 02/21ii: Accessed March 18, 2011 at: http://www.sccjr.ac.uk/documents/Report%202011%2001%20-%20Female%20imprisonment.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.sccjr.ac.uk/documents/Report%202011%2001%20-%20Female%20imprisonment.pdf Shelf Number: 121067 Keywords: Female CrimeFemale InmatesFemale Offenders (Scotland)Imprisonment |
Author: Dillon, Margaret C. Title: Convict Labour and Colonial Society in the Campbell Town Police District: 1820-1839 Summary: This thesis examines the lives of the convict workers who constituted the primary work force in the Campbell Town district in Van Diemen’s Land during the assignment period but focuses particularly on the 1830s. Over 1000 assigned men and women, ganged government convicts, convict police and ticket holders became the district’s unfree working class. Although studies have been completed on each of the groups separately, especially female convicts and ganged convicts, no holistic studies have investigated how convicts were integrated into a district as its multi-layered working class and the ways this affected their working and leisure lives and their interactions with their employers. Research has paid particular attention to the Lower Court records for 1835 to extract both quantitative data about the management of different groups of convicts, and also to provide more specific narratives about aspects of their work and leisure. Local administrative records from the Convict Department, the Colonial Secretary’s Office and the Engineers Department as well as the diaries and letters of colonists, accounts of travellers, almanacks and newspapers have also been used. Some key results proposed in the thesis include the following: Local magistrates had more varied and liberal middle class backgrounds than their contemporaries in New South Wales. They willingly became the governor’s agents of control over the convict work force, accepting his political authority, and remained primarily interested in increasing their wealth. The duties undertaken by convict police were more complex than the literature acknowledges and the claims of corruption and inefficiency made against police by the contemporary press are challenged. Ganged men maintained interactions with the general community outside their gangs, including complex trading and commercial transactions. The scarcity of female convicts caused them to have significant bargaining power and be allocated as a priority to the largest landowners, where they gave satisfactory service as domestic workers and showed little evidence of being unduly promiscuous or difficult to manage. On farm worksites where a mixed work force of assigned men, ticket holders and free men worked, convicts established hierarchies of control of the significant resources such as alcohol and cash and redistributed these amongst themselves by supplying market needs within their own reach. The political economy of the district and the ambitions of the large landowners to acquire wealth rapidly were instrumental in changing the ways they managed their convict workforces, while their convict workers also exploited any opportunities they could find to improve their conditions and retain as much of their freedom and working class culture as possible. On sites where convicts and employers negotiated reasonable working conditions, employers rarely took their workers before the courts on discipline charges. The convict administration was unable to enforce its expectations about the strict control of convicts by free market employers, neither could it fully limit convicts’ movements around rural districts, by stemming the high absconding rates from government gangs or the more limited movements of assigned men and women around the villages or farms where they worked. As an employer, the administration frequently failed to deliver the basic necessities to which its ganged men were entitled by regulation, nor did it always deliver rewards to those who complied with its requirements. Instead it kept men and women at work by sanctioning local magistrates to use harsh punishments like imprisonment, flogging and sentences to road parties and chain gangs for convicts who were charged with disobeying trivial work regulations. Details: Hobart, Tasmania: University of Tasmania, 2008. 299p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed April 11, 2011 at: http://www.convicthistory.com/entire.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Australia URL: http://www.convicthistory.com/entire.pdf Shelf Number: 121290 Keywords: Convict Labor (Australia)Female InmatesFemale PrisonersHistorical StudiesPrison Labor |
Author: George, Susan Title: Incarcerated Women, Their Children, and the Nexus with Foster Care Summary: This study illustrates how state administrative data can be used to assess the relationships between the criminal justice and child welfare systems. After matching corrections data on female offenders from Illinois to the state’s child welfare records, we examine the incidence of childhood foster care spells among incarcerated women, the incidence of female prisoners having their own children in foster care, and how time in prison or jail is associated with different foster care outcomes, such as the loss of parental rights. Details: Berkeley, CA: University of California at Berkeley; Chicago: Harris School, University of Chicago, 2007. 146p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 3, 2011 at: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/234110.pdf Year: 2007 Country: United States URL: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/234110.pdf Shelf Number: 121590 Keywords: Child Welfare (Illinois)Children of PrisonersFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFoster Care |
Author: Bartels, Lorana Title: Indigenous Women's Offending Patterns: A Literature Review Summary: This report is a literature review on Indigenous women’s offending patterns and therefore provides an important contribution to understanding an often neglected area of criminal justice. The report presents information on Indigenous women as offenders and prisoners, as well as considering the issue of over-policing, including for juvenile Indigenous females. Data are also presented on community corrections and periodic detention and the under-utilisation of juvenile diversion. The majority of information in the report relates to Indigenous women as prisoners, including information on imprisonment rates and numbers. Significantly, the rate of imprisonment of Indigenous women across Australia rose from 346 to 369 per 100,000 between 2006 and June 2009. In addition, Indigenous women outnumbered Indigenous men as a proportion of the relevant prison population in almost all jurisdictions. Indigenous women generally serve shorter sentences than their non-Indigenous counterparts, which suggests that Indigenous women are being imprisoned for more minor offences, especially public order offences. Indigenous women are also more likely to be on remand than non-Indigenous women. The characteristics of Indigenous female prisoners are considered in this report, with particular reference to the comparatively high rates of hospital admissions for mental disorders and post-release mortality rates. Examination of Indigenous women’s role as mothers and carers highlights the need for further research and relevant services. Policing, court and corrections data provide an overview of the types of offences committed by Indigenous women, with particular reference to the offences of public drunkenness, assault and homicide. The relationship between Indigenous women’s offending patterns and their exposure to family violence is explored and highlights the need for further examination. Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2010. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Research and Public Policy Series 107: Accessed July 6, 2011 at: http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/F/4/0/%7BF400B08D-7ECB-43EE-BB6E-38B2C3580A46%7Drpp107.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Australia URL: http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/F/4/0/%7BF400B08D-7ECB-43EE-BB6E-38B2C3580A46%7Drpp107.pdf Shelf Number: 121973 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Juvenile OffendersFemale Offenders (Australia)Indigenous Peoples |
Author: Haffejee, Sadiyya Title: Violence and Abuse in the Lives of Women and Girls Incarcerated at Three Gauteng Women's Prisons Summary: When battered women kill their abusive partners there is an obvious relationship between the violence inflicted upon them and their subsequent actions. Whether or not other prior experiences of violence or abuse also play a role in women’s unlawful acts has not, however, been investigated. Further, while a body of research is beginning to emerge in South Africa around violence in men’s prisons (Haysom, 1981; Gear and Ngubeni, 2002; Steinberg, 2004) no corresponding exploration of the situation in women’s prisons has been undertaken. This research brief presents findings from a study conducted in three women’s prisons in Gauteng exploring these two questions. It briefly describes the nature and extent of violence experienced by women and girls in conflict with the law, both prior to as well as during incarceration; and the relationship between such experiences of violence and the commission of unlawful acts. Both sets of questions are important for the prevention of women’s offending, as well as the informed sentencing and management of female offenders. Details: Braamfontein, South Africa: Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, 2006. 4p. Source: Internet Resource: CSVR Gender Programme, Research Brief No. 03: Accessed July 8, 2011 at: http://www.csvr.org.za/wits/papers/paphvg1.pdf Year: 2006 Country: South Africa URL: http://www.csvr.org.za/wits/papers/paphvg1.pdf Shelf Number: 122010 Keywords: Battered WomenFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale Prisoners (South Africa)Violence Against Women |
Author: Connecticut. Office of the Child Advocate Title: From Trauma to Tragedy: Connecticut Girls in Adult Prison Summary: This briefing paper finds that the Connecticut Department of Children and Families has failed to meet the needs of girls in the adult system, despite substantial state dollars expended on evaluations, provider contracts and additional staff. Details: Hartford, CT: Office of the Child Advocate, 2008. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 29, 2011 at: http://www.hartfordinfo.org/issues/wsd/FamiliesandChildren/From_Trauma_to_Tragedy.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://www.hartfordinfo.org/issues/wsd/FamiliesandChildren/From_Trauma_to_Tragedy.pdf Shelf Number: 122229 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Juvenile Offenders (Connecticut) |
Author: Gehring, Krista S. Title: “What Works” for Female Probationers? An Evaluation of the Moving On Program Summary: Female offenders represent a growing percentage of the criminal justice population in the United States. For example, between 1997 and 2007, the number of women on probation increased from 524,200 to 987,427 (Bureau of Justice Statistics [BJS], 1998; 2008). This represents an 88 percent increase over the span of a decade. During that same time-period, the percentage increase for male probationers was only 21 percent. The increasing numbers of women offenders and the scarcity of programs and services geared toward their needs have prompted criminal justice professionals to consider implementing gender-responsive programs (Bloom, 2000). Historically, failure to provide gender-specific programming for women in the system has been justified by the fact that women accounted for only a small percentage of arrests and committed fewer and less serious crimes than men (Morash, Haarr, & Rucker, 1994; Rafter, 1990). However, with the continued increase of women entering the criminal justice system since the 1970s, this excuse is no longer valid. Since traditionally much focus has been on the overwhelming numbers of males in the criminal and justice system, programs developed to service this population often have failed to develop options to address the gender-specific problems of women offenders (Bloom, 2000). Despite the focus on male offenders, programs have emerged that address the gendered risks and needs of women offenders. Women who enter into the system often have significant program needs such as histories of trauma and abuse, mental health issues, substance abuse, parenting issues, and relationship issues (Covington, 2000; McClellan, Farabee, & Crouch, 1997; Van Voorhis and Hardyman, 2001; Van Voorhis, Salisbury, Wright, and Bauman, 2008). As such, it is important to discover whether programs that address these needs are effective in reducing recidivism. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of research on the effectiveness of these new program models (Bloom, 2000). To help address the gap in this literature, the current study is the first to examine the effectiveness of the gender-responsive, cognitive behavioral, program Moving On. A demonstration of treatment effects for this program would have important implications for the management and treatment of women offenders in the future. Details: Cincinnati, OH: University of Cincinnati, Division of Criminal Justice, 2010(?). 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 29, 2011 at: http://www.uc.edu/womenoffenders/MOVING%20ON.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.uc.edu/womenoffenders/MOVING%20ON.pdf Shelf Number: 122941 Keywords: Correctional ProgramsFemale InmatesFemale OffendersGender-Specific Treatment Programs |
Author: Goss Gilroy, Inc. Title: Evaluation of Cross-Gender Staffing Pilot Project: Final Report Summary: This is the final report of an evaluation of the Cross-Gender Staffing Pilot Project at the Pine Grove Provincial Correctional Centre (PGCC) for Women in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. The purpose of the pilot project is to determine the feasibility of introducing male staff into front-line Correction Worker positions. Two male correctional workers (CWs) were appointed on a temporary basis to participate in the pilot project and, with some exceptions, they were given the same roles and responsibilities as female CWs. The pilot project was launched in January 2006 and continues to this date. The objectives of the pilot project are to: Provide positive male role models for female offenders; Determine the effects of employing male Corrections Workers on the main living unit environment; Ensure the right to privacy and safety and the emotional needs of women offenders are respected and are not compromised by the presence of male staff; and Ensure the rights of male Corrections Workers to employment opportunities and that they are not restricted unnecessarily. PGCC is managed by the Ministry of Corrections, Public Safety and Policing (Ministry) and cares for adult female offenders on remand or with sentences of less than two years. It employs 114 correctional workers – 110 women and four men, two of whom are management staff. Details: Regina, SK, Canada: Saskatchewan Ministry of Corrections, Public Safety and Policing, 2009. 62p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 30, 2011 at: http://www.cpsp.gov.sk.ca/GGI-PGCCCross-genderStaffing23-March-2009.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Canada URL: http://www.cpsp.gov.sk.ca/GGI-PGCCCross-genderStaffing23-March-2009.pdf Shelf Number: 122958 Keywords: Correctional Administration (Canada)Corrections Officers, MaleFemale InmatesFemale Prisoners |
Author: Great Britain. Home Office Inspectorate of Probation Title: Thematic Inspection Report: Equal but different? An inspection of the use of alternatives to custody for women offenders Summary: There is a great deal of information about women offenders in England and Wales. Generally, it tells us that offending is less common amongst girls and women than amongst boys and men and that women offenders often have complex multiple needs, linked to drug and substance misuse and poor mental health. A significant proportion of women in prison are the mothers and sole carers of dependent children. The increase in the female prison population between 1997 and 2000 caused such concern that it triggered a review of the existing initiatives for working with women. The subsequent report signalled the introduction of the Women’s Offending Reduction Programme which aimed to link strategic initiatives across government departments to address women’s offending and pursue alternatives to custody. In 2005, the Together Women Programme was launched and funding set aside for projects to divert from custody women who seemed likely to offend. This work was given further impetus by the review undertaken by Baroness Corston following the self-inflicted deaths of six women within a 13 month period at Styal Prison. Her subsequent report set the agenda for working with women offenders. The government accepted 40 of the 43 recommendations made by Baroness Corston and created a cross-departmental Criminal Justice Women’s Strategy Team to manage and coordinate their response to her report; it also placed further time-limited funding into the diversion programme. These measures appeared to have had an impact. The number of first receptions of women sentenced to immediate custody fell by 9% between 2008 and 2009. The overall number of women in prison in England and Wales also decreased slightly between 2008 and 2009. Most women sentenced to custody in 2009 received relatively short sentences, generally under 12 months, and were consequently not subject to any form of statutory supervision on release. One of the most striking features on considering the profile of the female prison population was the high proportion of women offenders imprisoned for breaching a court order, often imposed for offences which might not, of themselves, have attracted a custodial sentence. In 2009, this group represented 13% of all women received into prison on an immediate custodial sentence. This inspection focused on women who had either been sentenced to a community order or released from prison on licence. Its purpose was: to consider the extent to which non custodial options are being put forward and taken up in respect of women offenders. We therefore looked primarily at community orders and considered their credibility, as demonstrated by the courts in imposing such orders and by the women offenders themselves in complying with their requirements. Details: London: Criminal Justice Joint Inspection, 2011. 75p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 20, 2011 at: http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/inspectorate-reports/hmiprob/womens-thematic-alternatives-to-custody-2011.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/inspectorate-reports/hmiprob/womens-thematic-alternatives-to-custody-2011.pdf Shelf Number: 123070 Keywords: Alternatives to IncarcerationFemale InmatesFemale Offenders (U.K.)Probation, Female Offenders |
Author: Leschied, Alan W. Title: The Treatment of Incarcerated Mentally Disordered Women Offenders: A Synthesis of Current Research Summary: This synthesis of the research evidence in relation to the treatment of mentally disordered women offenders is prompted by recent reviews of correctional practice in the Canadian federal correctional system, and the growing awareness of the impact research can have on programs for women within the correctional system. Women offenders, in part as a function of their pre incarceration histories, will display more elevated risky behaviours as expressed through aggression, self-injury and multiple emotion-related disorders. With sex-specific programming and research-informed practice along with support for training in the context of providing adequate resources, correctional practice can have a positive impact both in the institutional management of behaviour as well as with longer-term positive outcomes. However, research also indicates that without the guide of informed practice and staff support, correctional practice tends to resort to traditional punitive measures such as the use of segregation as a means of managing the challenging and high-risk behaviours of mentally disordered women offenders. Details: Ottawa: Public Safety Canada, 2011. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Corrections Research: User Report 2011-03: Accessed October 25, 2011 at: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/res/cor/rep/_fl/2011-03-imdwo-eng.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Canada URL: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/res/cor/rep/_fl/2011-03-imdwo-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 123139 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Offenders (Canada)Mental Health ServicesMentally Ill Offenders |
Author: Deschenes, Elizabeth Piper Title: Recidivism Among Female Prisoners: Secondary Analysis of the 1994 BJS Recidivism Data Set Summary: This study explores the recidivism of female inmates released from state prison through secondary analysis of data collected by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (Langan & Levin 2002). This BJS study examined the recidivism of prisoners from 15 states released in 1994 by collecting 3-year follow-up data as described in the bulletin, Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1994. The present study examines the 23,562 females in this data set, examining their recidivism patterns and exploring the impact of prior criminal history on post-release recidivism. Secondary analysis of this data set found: • The majority (63%) of the women had no prior prison terms. • Female offenders served less time in prison than the total sample with two-thirds having served less than 12 months (compared to half of the total sample having served more than 12 months) and a median sentence length of 13 months (compared to the total sample median sentence length of 20 months). • Female prisoners were more likely than the total sample to have lower rates of recidivism across all four measures (rearrest, reconviction, resentence to prison and return to prison). • About 60% of the females in the sample were rearrested, while almost 70% of the total sample were rearrested. Forty percent of the females had a new conviction compared to 48% of the total sample. • Correspondingly, about 30% of the females returned to prison (with only 18% the result of a new sentence), compared to 37% of the total sample (with 25% the result of a new sentence). • Judgments about the similarity or difference in rates of female and male offenders do not depend upon the definition or measure of recidivism. • The majority of female offenders convicted and sentenced to prison for violent offenses prior to their release in 1994 do not reoffend with a violent crime. • However, for both the total sample and the female subsample, those serving time for a property offense or a drug offense were much more likely to have a new arrest than those released in all other offense categories. • Female offenders, similar to those in the total sample, are most likely to be rearrested for a property crime. • Female offenders typically do not specialize or concentrate their offending in their offense types over their criminal careers. • However, there is some degree of repetition in related offenses such as property, drugs, and to a lesser extent, public order crimes. • The strongest and most consistent predictors of recidivism of female offenders, whether measured as the proportion with a new arrest, the number of new arrests, or the time to a new arrest, are the number of prior arrests and age at release from prison. • Failure, as measured in time to a new arrest, is higher for female offenders who are incarcerated for drug possession and property offenses and lowest for those incarcerated for a violent offense. Details: Long Beach, CA: California State University Long Beach, Department of Criminal Justice; Fresno, CA: California State University Fresno, Department of Criminology, 2006. 75p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 10, 2012 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/216950.pdf Year: 2006 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/216950.pdf Shelf Number: 123554 Keywords: Correctional RehabilitationFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersRecidivism |
Author: Haffejee, Sadiyya Title: Minority Report: the imprisonment of women and girls in Gauteng Summary: Marginal in number, female prisoners in South Africa are also invisible in research and public discussion around imprisonment, except perhaps as the mothers of "babies behind bars" (and arguably it is the baby who is of greater public interest), or as women who have killed abusive partners. This research brief makes Gauteng’s women prisoners its focus, describing who they are and setting out findings about the conditions and circumstances of their imprisonment. It emphasises three aspects of imprisonment that particularly concerned the women we interviewed: contact with children and family; health and wellbeing; and opportunities for further education and reintegration into society. Details: Braamfontein, South Africa: Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, 2006. 4p. Source: CSVR Gender Programme, Research Brief No. 04: Internet Resource: Accessed February 4, 2012 at http://www.csvr.org.za/docs/correctional/minorityreport.pdf Year: 2006 Country: South Africa URL: http://www.csvr.org.za/docs/correctional/minorityreport.pdf Shelf Number: 123962 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Prisoners (South Africa)Parents, Mothers |
Author: Prison Reform Trust Title: No Way Out: A briefing paper on foreign national women in prison in England and Wales Summary: Foreign national women, many of whom are known to have been trafficked or coerced into offending, represent around one in seven of all the women held in custody in England and Wales. Yet comparatively little information has been produced about these women, their particular circumstances and needs, the offences for which they have been imprisoned and about ways to respond to them justly and effectively. This Prison Reform Trust briefing, drawing on the experience and work of the charity FPWP Hibiscus, the Female Prisoners Welfare Project, and kindly supported by the Barrow Cadbury Trust, sets out to redress the balance and to offer findings and recommendations which could be used to inform a much-needed national strategy for the management of foreign national women in the justice system. An overarching recommendation of Baroness Corston’s report published in 2007 was the need to reduce the number of women in custody, stating that “custodial sentences for women must be reserved for serious and violent offenders who pose a threat to the public”. She included foreign national women in her report, seeing them as: A significant minority group who have distinct needs and for whom a distinct strategy is necessary. However, when the government response and then the National Service Framework for Improving Services to Women Offenders were published the following year, there were no references to this group. Four years further on little progress has been made. "In spite of their evident needs”, The HM Chief Inspector of Prison’s Annual Report for 2008-9 pointed out that: Support for foreign national women, a significant proportion of women prisoners, is still not well developed in many prisons. If anything, due to the government’s focus on ensuring that “foreign criminals” do not have rights to remain in the country, the expansion of the Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) estate and a focus on fast track removals, the plight of this group has worsened. One of the key elements of the UK Borders Act 2007, which came into force in January 2009, was automatic deportation of non-British citizens who have been sentenced to a period of imprisonment for 12 months and over. The intolerance of any non-UK national who breaks the law remaining in the country is further emphasised in the most recently published UKBA five year strategy which talks of: Considering with partners, including the Crown Prosecution Service, the most effective use of out of court disposals such as cautions together with immigration powers, to remove low level foreign national offenders as an alternative to prosecution. This comes at a time when an increasing percentage of foreign women, who come to the attention of the criminal justice and immigration systems and who end up in custody, have been living in the UK long enough for their children to consider this country as home. Drawing on Hibiscus’ records of its work with foreign national women, this report attempts to gain a better understanding of the current situation for these women, see this in the context of changes over the last few years and outline what needs to be done. Details: London: Prison Reform Trust, 2012. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 28, 2012 at http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/NoWayOut.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/NoWayOut.pdf Shelf Number: 124309 Keywords: Correctional AdministrationFemale InmatesInmates, Foreign Born (U.K.)Prison Reform |
Author: Greiner, Leigh Title: A Descriptive Profile of Older Women Offenders Summary: Aging prisoners represent a special population that require addressing specific needs, particularly elements concerning adjustment, rehabilitation, programming, and parole (Aday, 1994). Most of the existing literature examining the needs of the aging prison population originates in the United States, and typically limits its sample to male offenders. Consequently, there is a need to examine the different characteristics and needs of older women offenders in Canada, in both a correctional and community setting. The purpose of this study was to: 1) to provide a comprehensive profile of older women offenders; 2) to compare the assessed levels of risk and need of older women and younger women offenders; and 3) to assess the relevance/use of a typology to classify older women offenders. For the current study, the age criterion for older women offenders was 50 years or older. CSC’s Offender Management System (OMS) was used to retrieve data on the study group (older women) and the comparison group (younger women). Both groups were composed of 160 women, of which 54 were in custody and 106 were under community supervision. Results suggest that, older women were rated as having lower overall needs, lower overall risk, and a higher reintegration potential when compared to women offenders under the age of 50. Compared to younger women, older women were found to have lower needs in the domains of employment, associates, substance abuse, and attitude. Looking at institutional misconduct, results suggest that older women are less likely to be victims or perpetrators of minor or major institutional incidents than their younger counterparts. With regard to programming, it was found that older women were significantly less likely to enrol in, or complete educational programs. They were also less likely than younger women to enrol in substance abuse programs, or psychology programs. However, they were significantly more likely to enrol in and complete ‘other’ programs (e.g., chaplaincy, personal development) than their younger counterparts. In order to examine a potential typology for older women offenders, criminal histories were examined. It was found that the majority of older women (80%) were serving time for their first federal sentence. Additionally, 50% of the older women offenders were serving a sentence for homicide. Ultimately, in attempts to delineate older women into a typology based on older male offenders, results revealed that older women did not fit flawlessly into the male typology. A more appropriate typology, specific to older women offenders may therefore exist. Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada, 2010. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report: 2010 No R-229: Accessed April 16, 2012 at: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rsrch/reports/r229/r229-eng.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Canada URL: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rsrch/reports/r229/r229-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 124984 Keywords: Elderly Prisoners (Canada)Female InmatesFemale OffendersFemale Prisoners |
Author: Swayze, Dana Title: Girls in Minnesota Correctional Facilities: Responses to the 2010 Minnesota Student Survey Summary: The Minnesota Student Survey (MSS) is a 127-item questionnaire administered every three years to 6th, 9th and 12th graders in Minnesota public schools. The survey includes a wide variety of questions related to youth attitudes, behaviors and health indicators. Ques - tions reflect a range of protective factors including connectedness to school, family and community, as well as risk factors such as drug and alcohol use, violence and victimization. The survey originated in 1989 with the most recent administration occurring in 2010. In 2010, 88 percent of school districts participated. In total, 71 percent of 6th, 9th and 12th graders (roughly 131,000 students) completed the 2010 MSS. Twenty-four residential juvenile correctional facilities with onsite education programs also participated in the 2010 MSS. This purpose of this report is to explore the unique experiences and responses of girls in Minnesota’s juvenile correctional facilities (n=103) as compared to boys (n=481). Understanding protective factors and risk factors related to delinquency that are influenced by gender can assist juvenile justice serving entities in providing services and interventions to the unique needs of females. This report seeks to illuminate statistically significant differences in responses between girls and boys in correctional facilities; to explore how these data are relevant to research on juvenile justice risk factors by gender; and to provide research-based recommendations for serving the specific needs of juvenile female offenders. Girls and boys in juvenile correctional facilities who participated in the 2010 MSS often had statistically significant differences in responses when self-reporting experiences and behaviors. The responses of girls generally support a wide body of research which posits that girls in the juvenile justice system have unique risk and protective factors or have a unique sensitivity to their effects. The following sections are selected content and findings from the report. Details: St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Justice Programs, Statistical Analysis Center, 2012. 46p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 2, 2012 at: https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ojp/forms-documents/Documents/!2010%20Girls%20v%20Boys%20Corrections%20Report.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ojp/forms-documents/Documents/!2010%20Girls%20v%20Boys%20Corrections%20Report.pdf Shelf Number: 125128 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale OffendersJuvenile CorrectionsJuvenile InmatesJuvenile Offenders (Minnesota) |
Author: Bingham, Elizabeth Title: Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading? Canada’s Treatment of Federally-sentenced Women with Mental Health Issues Summary: The inquest into the 2007 death of Ashley Smith while in federal custody has been repeatedly delayed, but the issues that Ms. Smith’s death raises remain pressing. At its most basic level, Ms. Smith died due to the state’s conviction that solitary confinement is a legitimate response to mental illness, coupled with systemic discrimination against federally sentenced women who have inadequate mental health treatment and community support. Ms. Smith’s death should have been a wakeup call for Canada but, instead, nearly five years and at least four major reports later, Canada has shown absolutely no willingness to address human rights violations against FSW with mental health issues. This report is the culmination of a 20-month research project spearheaded by the International Human Rights Program (IHRP) at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. It details Canada’s treatment of FSW with mental health issues, and analyzes this treatment through the lens of international human rights law. Our research indicates that the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) responds to FSW with mental health issues in a discriminatory manner. CSC equates mental health issues with increased risk and responds with excessive use of segregation (sometimes for months at a time), repeated institutional transfers (sometimes over ten times in a year), and use of force (including restraints). This treatment is exacerbated by a lack of adequate mental health care resources for FSW and training for prison staff. We find that CSC’s treatment of FSW with mental health issues is a violation of their rights under international law. Canada’s treatment of FSW with mental health issues is discriminatory; results in an unjustified deprivation of liberty without judicial oversight; violates the right to health; and, in cases where women are segregated for long periods or subject to excessive institutional transfers, constitutes cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Moreover, CSC’s refusal to provide us with basic statistics and information about the treatment of FSW with mental health issues constitutes a further violation of the CRPD. Details: Toronto: University of Toronto, Faculty of Law, International Human Rights Program, 2012. 74p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 17, 2012 at: http://tinyurl.com/6psz4qr Year: 2012 Country: Canada URL: http://tinyurl.com/6psz4qr Shelf Number: 125339 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Prisoners (Canada)Mental Health ServicesMentally Ill Offenders |
Author: Brennan, Tim Title: California Department Of Corrections And Rehabilitation (CDCR), Pilot Study Report, Female Offender Programs and Services (FOPS), Risk and Needs Assessment of Women Offenders in California Prisons: An Evaluation of COMPAS Reentry and NIC’s Gender-Respon Summary: As the number of females in prisons and jails increase in the U.S. (Hartney, 2007), correctional agencies are modifying their strategies to better meet the needs of females and also address the impacts their imprisonment is having on children and families. In July 2005, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) established the Female Offender Programs and Services (FOPS) Office to manage and provide oversight for all adult female programs, including prisons, conservation camps, and community programs. FOPS developed a gender-responsive, culturally sensitive approach to program and policy development aimed at improving recidivism outcomes for adult incarcerated and paroled female offenders under the supervision of the CDCR. In addition, the CDCR established a Gender Responsive Strategies Commission (GRSC) to assist in the development of a Master Plan for female offenders. The GRSC is comprised of representatives of the various disciplines within CDCR, including community partners, nationally recognized experts on female offenders, previously incarcerated individuals, family members of women offenders and other external stakeholders, including the California Commission for the Status of Women, the Little Hoover Commission, as well as labor and legislative representatives. Several subcommittees provide input to the CDCR on institutional operational practice and policy, treatment programs, community re-entry, medical and mental health services, and parole. Collaboratively, FOPS and GRSC have developed and will maintain a Master Plan that provides an organizational blueprint for CDCR to incorporate national standards in operational practice, program development, medical and mental health care, substance abuse treatment, family reunification and community re-entry. The organizational blueprint uses a common Case Management Logic for aligning (1) assessment, (2) interpretation, (3) case-planning, (4) intervention, and (5) evaluation efforts. This report focuses on assessment, the first of the five dimensions. Understanding the female population through an assessment of their risks and needs will guide effort in the other four dimensions of effective case management practice. Assessments are used to determine an offender‘s custody classification, supervision level, programming needs, progress in treatment, appropriateness for early release, reentry and revocation of community supervision. Traditionally, institutions have used the same assessment tools for both men and women. In most cases, the tools were developed and validated on male offender populations. This practice has been challenged by mounting evidence of the differences in female offending, their Northpointe – Evolving Practice Through Scientific Innovation 3 motivation for offending, and how to respond to them once incarcerated (Bloom, Owen, and Covington, 2003). For example, in their report on ―Gender Responsive Strategies for Women Offenders‖ Bloom et al. (2003) document that compared to male offenders females are less likely to commit violent offenses, more likely to have been convicted of a drug-related offense, likely to be survivors of physical and/or sexual abuse as children and adults, and to have multiple physical and mental health problems. Given these differences using a ―gender neutral‖ risk assessment tool on the female offender population may not be sufficiently sensitive to their unique risks and needs (Salisbury, Van Voorhis and Wright 2006; Blanchette and Brown 2006). Moreover, using an assessment tool that does not take women‘s specific risks and needs into account may result in inefficient and ineffective management and treatment of female offenders, not to mention the damaging and stigmatizing effects of over classifying women and placing them at higher levels of custody than necessary (Brennan 2008). In an effort to improve the policies and practices for female offenders, FOPS and GRSC have contracted with Pat Van Voorhis at the University of Cincinnati and Northpointe Institute for Public Management to conduct a pilot study for the development of an assessment instrument tailored to the risks and needs of women that helps case managers guide their re-entry into the community. Currently, CDCR uses COMPAS, a fourth generation assessment tool, to assess females for re-entry into the community. While COMPAS uses gender-specific calibrations of all its risk and need factors and a female-based pattern identification procedure reminiscent of the feminist ―pathways‖ model (Daly and Chesney-Lind 1988, Daly 1992) it does not explicitly include a set of gender-responsive factors. The present study examines whether an additional set of assessment questions or scales specifically developed for the female population can be integrated into the COMPAS to help guide female offenders in their transition to the community. This study thus integrates the ―Women‘s Trailer,‖ a female assessment tool developed by Van Voorhis and colleagues with COMPAS Reentry to create a joint domain space that should provide a more expansive and appropriate Gender-Responsive assessment for women. The results of this pilot study will enhance our understanding of female risks and needs and will contribute to the current debate on how to best assess and intervene with female offenders. Details: Northpoint Institute for Public Management, 2008. 78p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 6, 2012 at: http://www.northpointeinc.com/files/research_documents/California_Department_of_Corrections_and_Rehabilitation_(CDCR)_Pilot_Study_Report.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://www.northpointeinc.com/files/research_documents/California_Department_of_Corrections_and_Rehabilitation_(CDCR)_Pilot_Study_Report.pdf Shelf Number: 125396 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Offenders (California)Female PrisonersReentryRisk Assessment |
Author: Commission on Women Offenders (Scotland) Title: Commission on Women Offenders: Final Report 2012 Summary: The Commission's report attempts to address the urgent need to take action to reduce the number of women reoffending and going to prison in Scotland. In so doing it makes some radical proposals which are specific to women. The Commission recognises that other reforms will also benefit male offenders and should therefore be applied across the whole of the offending population. The Commission makes 37 recommendations under the headings of (i) service redesign (ii) alternatives to prosecution (iii) alternatives to remand (iv) sentencing (v) prisons (vi) community reintegration and (viii) making it work (leadership, structures and delivery). It advocates the replacement of Scotland’s prison for women – Cornton Vale – with a “smaller specialist prison for those women offenders serving a statutory defined long-term sentence and those who present a significant risk to the public”. In order to divert many vulnerable women with mental health problems from prison it also proposes alternatives to prosecution, remand and changes to sentencing. This will include the pilot of a problem solving court for “repeat offenders with multiple and complex needs who commit lower level crimes”. The pilot scheme will be run for both male and female offenders. The report also suggests the establishment of a new national service – the Community Justice Service – “to commission, provide and manage adult offender services in the community.” The report also makes recommendations on community reintegration covering access to safe accommodation and establishing effective throughcare and aftercare services. Details: Edinburgh: The Commission, 2012. 108p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 9, 2012 at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0039/00391828.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0039/00391828.pdf Shelf Number: 125510 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Offenders (Scotland)Female Prisoners |
Author: Hutton, Linda Title: Circle's Families Affected by Imprisonment Project: Throughcare for Female Offenders Summary: SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS The profile of those 59 clients who have worked with Circle during the first 3 years of the Families Affected by Imprisonment (‘FABI’) project confirms that these women have multiple needs and complex histories. Their profile is as follows: Aged between 17 and 46 at first contact; Have between 1 and 7 children, predominantly cared for by grandparents; Almost one-quarter (24%) self-refer to the service; Most have multiple needs: 62% have drug misuse issues; 27% alcohol misuse issues; 54% mental health issues; and over half have experienced physical abuse; The approximate age at which offending careers had begun ranged from 10 to 39 years, with the highest proportions having their first offence recorded at age 15 or less (38%) or 16 to 21 years (33%); Offending ‘careers’ prior to contact with Circle ranged from 2 to 26 years, with 57% having offending careers of ten years or more; The highest proportion (43%) are serving their first custodial sentence, with the remainder serving between their 2nd and 7th custodial sentences; First custodial sentences had been received between the ages of 17 and 44, with 32% receiving their first custodial sentence at age 31 or older; Those who had received prior custodial sentences had received total terms of between 1 and 41 months over all such sentences; For the sentence being served at the time of first contact with Circle, clients had received sentences of between 2 and 48 months; The most common offending profile is one of violent offences (34%), followed by crimes of dishonesty (22%); One-third of clients (34%) received no visitors while in custody; over half (56%) received no visits from their children. In spite of this profile, outcomes for those working with the FABI project are incredibly positive, with 79% of those released from custody having received no further custodial sentences. To summarise: Of the 52 clients released from custody, 79% have received no further custodial sentences; Effective engagement was achieved with 85% of clients after their release from custody; Of the 33 clients with custodial sentences prior to that which brought them into contact with Circle, 58% received no further custodial sentences; Of the 25 clients with no prior custodial sentences, only 1 received a further custodial sentence; ii With regard to further custodial sentences, a decrease in longer sentences (over 12 months) and an increase in shorter sentences (12 months or less) was evident in comparing pre- and post-service figures; A decrease between pre- and post-service figures with regard to number of custodial sentences was also evident; Those who engaged with Circle appeared much more likely to receive no further custodial sentences (81%) than those who did not engage (56%). Those who self-referred to the service were marginally less likely to receive further custodial sentences (8%) than those who did not (27%). With regard to client interviews, findings from these support the positive outcomes shown in the quantitative data. For example: All 42 clients interviewed would recommend Circle to others; Clients reported having been supported to make positive changes with regard to drug and alcohol misuse; Clients were also supported to resolve issues related to housing and debt; The ability of the Circle workers to help maintain and improve family relationships was highly valued by clients, as was the provision of practical support; The provision of emotional and practical support during the transition from custody to community was important to clients; Clients identified that the ability of Circle to be both gatekeeper and advocate in relation to other services was that which sets Circle apart from other agencies; In relation to their children, clients often felt deprived of information in their regard and treated with little respect by statutory services; The provision of timely and accurate information to clients was considered important, and the of Circle workers in facilitating this was greatly appreciated. Details: Glasgow: The Robertson Trust, 2011. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 11, 2012 at: http://www.therobertsontrust.org.uk/ Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.therobertsontrust.org.uk/ Shelf Number: 125539 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale Prisoners (Scotland) |
Author: Northern Ireland. Department of Justice Title: Women's Offending Behaviour in Northern Ireland: A Strategy to Manage Women Offenders and Those Vulnerable to Offending Behaviour 2010-2013 Summary: Women make up only a small proportion of those who offend or who exhibit offending behaviour in Northern Ireland. However, their experiences of the criminal justice process, and the interventions and services available, can have a disproportionate impact, particularly on children and families. The problems underlying women’s offending are often complex. Issues such as poverty, homelessness, mental illness, abuse, domestic violence, and addictions are often the prime motivators underlying a woman’s involvement in crime. To reduce offending, ways to address the factors contributing to women’s offending need to be developed, within the community where possible. Details: Belfast: Northern Ireland Department of Justice, 2010. 83p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 13, 2012 at: http://www.pbni.org.uk/archive/News%20items/2010%20News/Women%20Strategy%20launch/Final%20-%20A%20Strategy%20to%20Manage%20Women%20Offenders%20291010.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.pbni.org.uk/archive/News%20items/2010%20News/Women%20Strategy%20launch/Final%20-%20A%20Strategy%20to%20Manage%20Women%20Offenders%20291010.pdf Shelf Number: 125615 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Offenders (Northern Ireland)Women Prisoners |
Author: Rabin, Nina Title: Unseen Prisoners: A Report on Women in Immigration Detention Facilities in Arizona Summary: Roughly three hundred women are currently detained in immigration detention facilities in Arizona. Large scale detention of immigrants is a relatively recent phenomenon, and detention of women in significant numbers is even more recent. Women have only been detained in immigration detention facilities in the state since 2001. They have been placed in facilities that largely house other populations, either male immigration detainees or people serving criminal sentences of either sex. There is little public information about or awareness of immigration detention facilities, and in light of the small numbers of women and their recent addition, even less information or awareness about their treatment. The University of Arizona’s Southwest Institute for Research on Women (SIROW), with support from the Bacon Immigration Law and Policy Program of the James E. Rogers College of Law, undertook this report in order to fill this information gap and determine the extent to which immigration detention facilities in Arizona are responsive to the needs of women detainees. Over a twelve month period from September 2007 through August 2008, SIROW researchers and law students conducted interviews with over forty people who have knowledge about the facilities, including currently and previously detained women, family members of detainees, and attorneys and social service providers who have worked with women in immigration detention facilities. The three facilities that currently house women immigration detainees in Arizona are in Florence and Eloy, two small remote desert towns a significant distance from the Tucson and Phoenix metropolitan areas. The government agency in charge of the detention and removal of immigrants, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), contracts with the private for-profit prison company Corrections Corporation of America to run two of the three facilities. The third facility is a county jail in Florence in which ICE contracts for bed space for immigration detainees. Based on its research, this report identifies the following key concerns about the conditions of confinement for women in these three immigration detention facilities. Details: Tucson: University of Arizona, Southwest Institute for Research on Women, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Bacon Immigration Law and Policy Program, James E. Rogers College of Law, 2009. 88p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 17, 2012 at: http://www.law.arizona.edu/depts/bacon_program/pdf/Unseen_Prisoners.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://www.law.arizona.edu/depts/bacon_program/pdf/Unseen_Prisoners.pdf Shelf Number: 113773 Keywords: Female InmatesIllegal AliensIllegal Immigrants, FemaleImmigrant Detention (Arizona) |
Author: Albertson, Katherine Title: Tackling Health Inequalities Through Developing Evidence-based Policy and Practice with Childbearing Women in Prison: A Consultation Summary: The overall aim of this consultation was to scope and map the health needs and health care of childbearing women in prison, using the Yorkshire and Humberside region as a case study. In order to approach this we designed consultation exercises to: • Critically examine how prisons interact with health care agencies to meet the needs of childbearing women both inside and outside prison • Obtain the views of key stakeholders around improving practice and tackling barriers to equity of health care for childbearing women in prison • Identify existing good practice in this area • Produce an evidence base to inform future policy development and practice in this area • Use this local pilot work to inform the development of future research in this field This report contains key findings based on consultation data from the following sources: • A brief scoping review • Two Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) practitioner focus groups • Five MBU Manager interviews • Three activities undertaken by a web-based expert panel • A multidisciplinary final event Details: Sheffield, UK: The Hallam Centre for Community Justice, Sheffield Hallam University; York, UK: The Mother and Infant Research Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of York, 2012. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 8, 2012 at: http://yhhiec.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Microsoft-Word-Mothers-in-Prison-Consultation-report-2012.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://yhhiec.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Microsoft-Word-Mothers-in-Prison-Consultation-report-2012.pdf Shelf Number: 125937 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFemale InmatesFemale Prisoners (U.K.)Pregnant InmatesPrison Health ServicesPrison Nurseries |
Author: Denman, Kristine Title: New Mexico's Female Prisoners: Exploring Recent Increases in the Inmate Population: Report in Brief Summary: The female prison population has been increasing since calendar year 2010. However, a dramatic increase occurred in the beginning of 2011, surpassing both the projected population and the capacity of the New Mexico Women’s Correctional Facility (NMWCF). While the population has fluctuated some since that point, it has remained high in recent months since its peak in September 2011. It is expected that this trend will continue. The current research was initiated in an effort to discern the source of this increase. Details: Albuquerque, NM: New Mexico Sentencing Commission, 2012. 4p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 3, 2012 at http://nmsc.unm.edu/index.php/download_file/-/view/461/ Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://nmsc.unm.edu/index.php/download_file/-/view/461/ Shelf Number: 126859 Keywords: Detention (New Mexico)Female InmatesFemale PrisonersPrison Population |
Author: Hales, Liz Title: The Criminalisation of Migrant Women Summary: The work of a number of key organisations, including the International Organisation for Migration, has led to awareness of the extent of national and international people trafficking and exploitation by smugglers and agents of people seeking to leave their country to seek work or asylum. Within the UK, public knowledge has been influenced by the setting up of the UK Human Trafficking Centre in October 2006, the work of a number of human rights organisations, and media interest in some cases. However, to date, there has been no formal recognition of the numbers of potential victims in custody on criminal charges, nor systematic prison based research that provides evidence on how these individuals have been managed within the Criminal Justice System and by the United Kingdom Border Agency, at a time when the percentage of foreign women in the prison estate continues to increase. Our research on the criminalisation of migrant women, funded for 18 months by the ESRC, aimed to fill this knowledge gap. The research was carried out between May 2010 and November 2011 with migrant women in prison and the immigration holding estate in the South-East of England. The key aims were to gather information in relation to the numbers of migrant women being processed through the criminal justice and immigration systems within England and Wales. Within the context of this picture we aimed to see whether there were any women who were victims of trafficking, smuggling and ‘work under duress’ in custody, and by examining case management identify the extent of compliance in relation to the European Convention on Trafficking and the Convention of Human Rights. Key findings In 2009 there were 2,454 foreign national receptions into the female prison estate and during the period of the research foreign national prisoners accounted for 19 per cent of the population in custody and 26 per cent of new untried receptions. In four of the five prisons, where the majority of interviews were carried out, the average population was 30 per cent, rising to 31 per cent in HMP Holloway and HMP Bronzefield in the final month. Analysis of data from fpwp/Hibiscus, a key organisation working with foreign women in custody, showed that 41 per cent of their caseload in 2009 involved women charged with offences such as deception and fraud in relation to their immigration status and related offences of use of false documentation to access work or benefits, or pass through customs on entry or exit from the UK. Prison data gathered in the context of the research indicated that 26 per cent overall were arrested in relation to these offences with an additional 4 per cent arrested on offences such as street robberies and sale of counterfeit goods (offences potentially linked with trafficking). Within the immigration estate in 2010, 4,337 women were taken into detention, of which there were 2,799 receptions at Yarl’s Wood IRC, where monthly figures showed that 112 women, one third, were being held post completion of a prison sentence. In the context of interviews with 103 migrant women in the prison and immigration holding estate, detained or arrested on charges that are potentially linked with entry to or exit from the UK or work under the control of others, evidence gathered indicated that 43 were victims of trafficking, of whom two were formally re-assessed as children whilst in the adult estate.1 An additional five women had entered the country independently, but had then been worked in slavery or servitude like conditions and 10 had entered the UK in the hands of agents and had been arrested resultant on the theft of their relevant documents by their smugglers. The progress of these 58 women within the target group (that is, those who might have been trafficked or smuggled or made to work under duress) was then monitored in terms of their management within the criminal justice and immigration systems. This was carried out by 59 follow up interviews in custody and 14 more in the community, observations of 33 court appearances, ongoing communication by letter and examination of relevant paper documentation held by the interviewees, their legal representatives and others, wherever this was feasible. 38 of the 48 women within the target group (58) for whom there is data on employment were involved in non-skilled work before departure and, for those who were complicit in the decision to travel to the UK, reasons for migration were a mixture of economic necessity and a need for asylum. For all but eight it was their first move from home. Eight of those trafficked did not travel directly to the UK, but were first moved to other countries to work en route. Five had been trafficked as children and one of the children had been re-trafficked to the UK after being deported back to Africa from the first destination country. Twenty of the women trafficked were forced to work in prostitution and fifteen in cannabis production. Eight worked in domestic servitude, two were acting as drug mules and eight were involved in street robberies and the sale of fake goods. An additional five women were forced into these areas of work after entering the country independently of those who controlled them in the work. The common experience of all the women within this target group was one of disempowerment and for those trafficked or smuggled this process started from the point of recruitment. All of those interviewed indicated that they had been victims of physical and/or emotional abuse. Twenty-four women disclosed in interview that they had experienced multiple rapes and for an additional two this had been an ongoing threat. For those who migrated to seek asylum, disclosures indicated that these experiences started prior to their move and were thus the key reasons for migration. For others, disclosures in interview indicated that it was integral to the relationship they had with those who brought them to the UK, who worked them under duress and to whom they had been sold. For many, the hold and threats made by those who had recruited, moved and controlled them did not disappear on arrest. The women’s experiences led to them to report that they felt socially isolated, vulnerable, traumatised, subject to flashbacks, ashamed to tell others what had happened and finding difficulty in knowing whom to trust. They indicated that all of this was exacerbated by the experience of imprisonment and uncertainty about the future and it is not insignificant that being handed over to the police or immigration was a common threat used by those who had held them. In terms of the offences for which they had been arrested, the two key offence groups were in relation to the use of false identity documentation and the production of cannabis. Within the target group of 58, 20 of the primary charges were for use of false instrument with intent and 14 for the production of a controlled drug (cannabis). Of the 43 who were identified as victims of trafficking by the researchers, only 11 were processed through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) and this did not happen for two of these women until their sentence was completed. Four other women were advised that this option was open to them. Three declined as they were serving short sentences and their goal was to return home as soon as possible, and the fourth was too frightened of the potential implications both to herself and her daughter in making full disclosure of her experiences. With four of these cases, the Conclusive Grounds decision made on their victim status by UKBA (which acted as the competent authority) was negative. To date, one of these decisions has been overturned following a successful judicial review; such a review was being considered for a second. Even where referrals were made to the NRM that resulted in a positive decision and non-prosecution, the victims spent on average four months in custody. For the other 37 there was no formal recognition of their victim status and no access to appropriate support or temporary protection from deportation other than going down the route of applying for asylum. Of equal significance is the fact that, to date, in only one of the cases did victim disclosures result in a full police investigation in relation to the actions of the perpetrators.A key question of this research is therefore why so few of those whose disclosures at interview with the researchers, which exemplified all the key indicators of being a victim of trafficking, had not been identified as such within the criminal justice system. Similarly we looked at why those arrested on offences committed under duress, in ignorance or resultant on the action of those who had controlled them were held entirely responsible for their actions. Details: Cambridge, UK: Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge,, 2012. 128p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 29, 2013 at: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/people/academic_research/loraine_gelsthorpe/criminalreport29july12.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/people/academic_research/loraine_gelsthorpe/criminalreport29july12.pdf Shelf Number: 127432 Keywords: Female InmatesHuman TraffickingIllegal ImmigrantsImmigrationMigrant Women (U.K.)RapeSexual AssaultSexual Exploitation |
Author: Texas Criminal Justice Coalition Title: Girls’ Experiences in the Texas Juvenile Justice System. 2012 Survey Findings Summary: Half of all youth referred to the Texas juvenile justice system each year have previously experienced a significant traumatic event. This trauma can cause a youth’s stress response to be over-reactive, leading to delinquent behavior. In a secure facility, the youth’s over-reactive stress response can lead to discipline problems and deeper system involvement. In fact, recent research has revealed that a youth’s past experience with trauma is a major predictor – and for girls, the largest predictor – of the youth’s assignment to increasingly serious secure placements in the Texas juvenile justice system. Unfortunately, Girls’ Experiences in the Texas Juvenile Justice System, a new report by TCJC, shows that Texas is failing many of these traumatized children. Half of the girls interviewed at the Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex report that their previous time in county juvenile facilities either did not help or actually did more harm than good for dealing with their past trauma. Tragically, eight percent report that their time at Ron Jackson is doing more harm than good, suggesting that our juvenile justice system may be re-traumatizing many of these youth. These issues call for a system-wide response. Many of the experiences that the girls report in these interviews – including negative interactions with staff, severe isolation from family, and youth-on-youth violence – match the experiences that boys in state custody reported in a TCJC survey earlier this year. As Texas moves forward with reforms to address those concerns, we should increase funding for trauma counseling in the juvenile system, and we should revisit the policies and procedures in our juvenile facilities to respond better to the vulnerabilities and triggers of traumatized youth. Details: Austin, TX: Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, 2012. 18p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 5, 2013 at: http://www.texascjc.org/sites/default/files/uploads/Girls%20Experiences%20in%20the%20TX%20JJ%20System%20%28Oct%202012%29.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.texascjc.org/sites/default/files/uploads/Girls%20Experiences%20in%20the%20TX%20JJ%20System%20%28Oct%202012%29.pdf Shelf Number: 127515 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Juvenile Offenders (Texas, U.S.)Juvenile InmatesJuvenile Justice ReformJuvenile Justice Systems |
Author: Gullberg, Sofia Title: The State of the Estate. Women in Prison’s Report on the Women’s Custodial Estate 2011-12 Summary: Five years on from the Corston report and two years since the Bangkok Rules, Women in Prison’s flagship report “The State of the Estate” is the first of its kind and a unique piece of research. It provides accessible, like-for-like data on all 15 women’s prison in the UK and is intended to serve as a useful tool for researchers, policy makers and criminal justice practitioners alike. This first report will stand as a benchmark to measure future developments against. The section titled “What the women say: A day in the life of a woman prisoner” is a collection of first-hand accounts from women across the prison estate. This section complements the statistical parts of the report and provides us with a human account of the day-to-day reality of life in prison today. The report also looks at the UK female custodial estate from a human rights perspective. It provides the first evaluation of the UK Government's compliance with the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (known as the Bangkok Rules). This section outlines and explains the Rules in terms of both theoretical policy and practical application while evaluating progress. Another key part of the report is a “spotlight issue”. The focus we have chosen for the 2011-12 report is mental health - an issue that really goes to the core of questioning the extent of custodial sentencing for women with mental health issues. Details: London: Women in Prison, 2013. 58p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 11, 2013 at: http://www.womeninprison.org.uk/userfiles/file/StateoftheEstateReport.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.womeninprison.org.uk/userfiles/file/StateoftheEstateReport.pdf Shelf Number: 127564 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Offenders (U.K.)Prisons |
Author: Mauer, Marc Title: The Changing Racial Dynamics of Women’s Incarceration Summary: In the first decade of the 21st century the United States began to experience a shift in the 30-year buildup to a world record prison system. Although the decade ended with an increased number of people in prison, the rate of growth overall was considerably below that of previous decades and since 2008 the overall number of people in state prisons has declined slightly each year. Scholars are beginning to analyze the relative contributions of changes in crime rates, criminal justice policies, economics, and demographics to the slowing growth rate of the prison system, but one area that has gone largely unexplored is the impact of such changes on racial disparities in imprisonment. As is well known, black/white disparities in the use of incarceration have been profound for quite some time. Since the 1980s a series of analyses have documented these trends at the national level as well as examining variation in disparity among the states. As prison populations fluctuate, though, the relative rate of incarceration among racial groups may or may not reflect prevailing patterns. Further, as the prospect of a declining prison population has now become a distinct possibility for the next decade, it will become increasingly important to monitor whether reduced incarceration is experienced in similar ways across racial/ethnic groups. This report first describes trends in incarceration for the first decade of the century, and contrasts this with patterns of the previous decade. We then assess the extent of change in the race and gender dynamics of incarceration over the past decade, and suggest factors which may be contributing to these trends. The data in this report document the following key findings: • Racial/ethnic disparities in U.S. incarceration remain substantial – In 2009, African Americans and Latinos constituted more than 60% of imprisoned offenders. African American males were incarcerated in state and federal prisons at 6.4 times the rate of non-Hispanic white males, and Hispanic males at 2.4 times the rate of non-Hispanic whites. • Declining rate of incarceration for African Americans – From 2000 to 2009 the rate of incarceration in state and federal prisons declined 9.8% for black men and 30.7% for black women. • Rates of incarceration for whites and Latinos generally rising – Incarceration rates for white men and women rose 8.5% and 47.1%, respectively from 2000 to 2009. For Hispanics the men’s rate declined by 2.2% while the women’s rate rose by 23.3%. • Dramatic shift in racial disparities among women – In 2000 black women were incarcerated in state and federal prisons at six times the rate of white women. By 2009 that ratio had declined by 53%, to 2.8:1. This shift was a result of both declining incarceration of African American women and rising incarceration of white women. The disparity between Hispanic and non- Hispanic white women declined by 16.7% during this period. Similar trends can be seen among men, but at a lesser scale, with a decline of 16.9% in the black/white incarceration ratio over the decade. The disparity between Hispanic and non-Hispanic white men declined by 11.1%. Details: Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project, 2013. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 5, 2013 at: http://sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/rd_Changing%20Racial%20Dynamics%202013.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/rd_Changing%20Racial%20Dynamics%202013.pdf Shelf Number: 127843 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Offenders (U.S.)Female PrisonersMinority GroupsRacial DisparitiesSentencing Disparities |
Author: McBridge, Rachel L. Title: Incarcerated Mothers in Cuenca, Ecuador: Perceptions of their environment and the impact it has on the lives of their young children and their education. Summary: The number of children whose mothers are incarcerated is increasing around the world. Educators of young children are faced with new challenges in their classrooms as they work with these children during their formative years for social-emotional development. The purpose of this qualitative study was to interview the mothers, in order to gain their perspective on how they feel their incarceration has affected their relationship with their children; how they believed it would affect their children in the future, and to investigate the perceptions of early childhood teachers who worked with children of incarcerated mothers. Using interviews, observations, journal, and field notes the researcher collected information from 3 incarcerated mothers, 3 of their children, and the 2 teachers who worked with these children. Overall findings were that the mother-child relationships are of extreme importance to the mothers. They have high hopes for a better life for their child, which includes concerns about their education. Mothers had fears that their incarceration would repeat itself in their children and desired for things to be different in their children's futures. They reported their incarceration affecting their children in negative ways. Their children had difficulty depicting their mothers in their drawings. Lastly, the teachers highly encouraged parental involvement, even though the mother was incarcerated. They expressed the importance of the mother-child relationship impacting the child's ability to learn, and teachers believed special training and preparation are necessary for working with these children. Details: Denton, TX: University of North Texas, 2008. 377p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed March 7, 2013 at: http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc6078/m1/1/?q=incarcerated mothers Year: 2008 Country: Ecuador URL: http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc6078/m1/1/?q=incarcerated mothers Shelf Number: 127867 Keywords: Children of Prisoners (Ecuador)Families of InmatesFemale InmatesFemale Prisoners |
Author: Penal Reform International Title: Women in Detention: A Guide to Gender-Sensitive Monitoring Summary: Women in detention: a guide to gender-sensitive monitoring - is designed to help bodies monitoring places of detention incorporate a gender perspective into their work and to address the problem of violence against women and girls in detention. This guide introduces the UN Bangkok Rules and other relevant sources of international law to bodies monitoring places of detention, including National Preventive Mechanisms, and provides guidance on assessing risk factors and making recommendations to improve the protection of women against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Details: London: Penal Reform International, 2013. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 4, 2013 at: http://www.penalreform.org/files/Women%20in%20Detention%20-%20a%20guide%20to%20gender%20sensitive%20monitoring_English_0.pdf Year: 2013 Country: International URL: http://www.penalreform.org/files/Women%20in%20Detention%20-%20a%20guide%20to%20gender%20sensitive%20monitoring_English_0.pdf Shelf Number: 128209 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersPrison Violence |
Author: Lynch, Shannon M. Title: Women’s Pathways to Jail: Examining Mental Health, Trauma, and Substance Use Summary: The rate of incarceration of women has increased substantially in recent decades, with a 31 percent increase between 2000 and 2011 (Minton, 2012). Female offenders appear to have different risk factors for offending than do male offenders. In particular, female offenders report greater incidence of mental health problems and serious mental illness (SMI) than do male offenders (James and Glaze, 2006; Steadman et al., 2009). Female offenders also report higher rates of substance dependence as well as greater incidence of past physical and sexual abuse (James and Glaze, 2006). Other researchers also have noted elevated rates of experiences of interpersonal trauma, substance dependence, and associated symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in female offenders (Green et al., 2005; Lynch et al., 2012). This multisite study addresses critical gaps in the literature by assessing the prevalence of SMI, PTSD, and substance use disorders (SUD) in women in jail, and the pathways to jail for women with and without SMI. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2013. 4p. Source: Internet Resource: BJA Policiy Brief: Accessed April 18, 2013 at: https://www.bja.gov/Publications/WomensPathwaysToJail.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: https://www.bja.gov/Publications/WomensPathwaysToJail.pdf Shelf Number: 128414 Keywords: Drug Abuse and AddictionDrug Abuse and CrimeFemale InmatesFemale Offenders (U.S.)Jail InmatesMental Health ServicesMentally Ill Offenders |
Author: Medical Justice Title: Expecting Change: The case for ending the detention of pregnant women Summary: This report presents an analysis of the immigration detention of pregnant women. The results show that the current policy of detaining pregnant women is ineffective, unworkable and damaging. The Home Offce does not know how many pregnant women are detained. Without knowing or recording how many are detained, it is diffcult to see how the Home Offce is able to implement its own policy of detaining pregnant women in only very exceptional circumstances. The primary purpose of detention is removal, yet this research and a previous Medical Justice audit show that only around 5% of pregnant women were successfully removed. This is because in the majority of cases, there is no medically safe way to return them. Following the case of Chen earlier this year, the Home Offce is now unable to use force on pregnant women, save to prevent harm to the woman herself. Given that the use of force, which the Home O"ce had deemed essential, is now unlawful, pregnant women should no longer be detained as there is now an even smaller prospect of removal. Experts agree that travel to malarious areas should be avoided because pregnant women have an increased risk of developing severe malaria and a higher risk of fatality compared to non-pregnant women. Home O"ce policy outlines that women should be o!ered malaria prophylaxis prior to their removal. In all the cases where anti-malarials were o!ered, Yarl’s Wood healthcare team failed to follow the relevant medical guidance. The data results show that the healthcare pregnant women receive is inadequate. There is evidence that the level of care falls short of NHS equivalence and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) standards. Immigration detention introduces discontinuity in women’s care and the stress of detention can impact on their mental health and their pregnancy. Asylum seeking women have poorer maternity outcomes than the general population. Many women in the sample were victims of rape, torture and tra"cking. However, there appeared to be no appreciation by Yarl’s Wood healthcare sta! that even without complications, this is a group of vulnerable women who need to be managed as complex cases. People can be held in immigration detention inde#nitely and the decision to detain is not subject to automatic judicial oversight. Self-harm, hunger strikes and reports of assault and racism are common. In four separate cases in the past two years, the High Court has ruled that the care of four detainees amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment. Detention is no place for a pregnant woman. According to the Independent Monitoring Board, 93 pregnant women were held in Yarl’s Wood in 2011. With limited prospects of removal, it is our recommendation that the government should stop detaining them. Detention is not serving any purpose: the costs are great and the damage to women’s health can be dramatic. This recommendation is in line with Asylum Aid’s Charter of Rights of Women Seeking Asylum that is supported by 337 organisations, including the Royal College of Midwives. Details: London: Medical Justice, 2013. 88p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 18, 2013 at: http://www.medicaljustice.org.uk/images/stories/reports/expectingchange.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.medicaljustice.org.uk/images/stories/reports/expectingchange.pdf Shelf Number: 129031 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale PrisonersImmigrant DetentionPregnant Inmates (U.K.) |
Author: Iakobishvili, Eka Title: Cause for Alarm: The Incarceration of Women for Drug Offences in Europe and Central Asia, and the need for Legislative and Sentencing Reform Summary: This report sets out to answer two basic questions. 1. How many women are in prison for drugs in Europe and Central Asia? 2. What proportion of the total female prison population do these women comprise? It represents the first attempt to collate such figures for the whole region, and the answers highlight a growing problem. Namely that too many women are in prison for non-violent drug offences in the region. The answers also raise numerous other questions that beg further research. Every year, an increasing number of women come into conflict with the law. There are now more than half a million women and girls in penal institutions around the world.1 It has also been estimated that over 100,000 women are incarcerated in European prisons on any given day.2 Harm Reduction International’s research of fifty-one European and Central Asian countries suggests that there are over 112,500 women in prison across the region. Of these, 28% – or 31,400 women – are in prison for drug offences.3 This represents more than one in four incarcerated women in the region, demonstrating the impact of drug laws and drug enforcement on rates of imprisonment of women. In fact, drug offences outstrip by a considerable margin all others as the reason for women entering prison. This percentage, however, hides considerable national variation. In a few countries, less than 10% of women in prison are serving sentences for drugs. But in others this figure is between 40—50%, and in some cases reaches as high as 70%. It should always be remembered, however, that behind these statistics are real individuals; women whose individual circumstances and lives are masked by the top-line numbers. The vast majority are in prison for non-violent drug offences, for which women are disproportionately imprisoned. In some countries, many are ‘drug mules’. They are mostly women from socially and economically marginalised backgrounds, whose crimes are driven by poverty. A large number struggle with mental health or drug dependence issues, or both. Low literacy levels are all too common, as are histories of sexual and physical abuse. Many are also mothers. This report is intended to shed light on these problems, beginning with the influence of drug enforcement on female prison populations. Given the high percentage of women incarcerated across the European and Central Asian region for drug offences, it is clear that legal and sentencing reform is an urgent requirement. Details: London: Harm Reduction International, 2012. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 28, 2013 at: http://www.ihra.net/files/2012/03/11/HRI_WomenInPrisonReport.pdf Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://www.ihra.net/files/2012/03/11/HRI_WomenInPrisonReport.pdf Shelf Number: 129206 Keywords: Female Drug OffendersFemale InmatesFemale Offenders (Europe, Central Asia)Sentencing |
Author: Meyerson, Jessica Title: Childhood Disrupted: Understanding the Features and Effects of Maternal Incarceration Summary: Between 1991 and midyear 2007, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reported the number of mothers in federal and state prisoners had increased a staggering 122 percent. During the same period, the number of children with mothers in prison had more than doubled, rising to almost 150,000 children nationwide. (BJS, 2008) Unfortunately, when women with children are incarcerated, their arrests and imprisonment often have a profound, negative impact on their families. Most children of incarcerated parents are at risk of poverty, instability and problem behaviors; but children with incarcerated mothers are especially vulnerable. Mothers in prison are more likely than fathers to enter incarceration with an identified mental illness. They are more likely to be drug users, to live in poverty and to be victims of physical or sexual abuse. (Travis and Waul, 2003) These factors substantially increase the chances that their children will experience their own emotional and psychological difficulties. (Ingram and Price, 2000; U.S. Surgeon General, 1999) Children whose mothers are incarcerated are also more likely to witness their parents’ arrests and to experience significant trauma and household disruption as a result of those arrests. When a father goes to prison, his children usually remain in the care of their mother; but when a mother is incarcerated, her children are likely to be transferred to the care of a non-parental caregiver. Most often this caregiver is a grandparent or relative, but, in about 11 percent of cases, children of incarcerated mothers are placed in the foster care system—separating them, in many cases, not just from their parents, but also their siblings, other family members and the only homes and communities they have ever known. (BJS, 2008; Mumola, 2000; Travis and Waul, 2003) Despite the explosive growth in the number of mothers who are in prison—and the potentially devastating effects of this incarceration on future generations—there are, at present, only a handful of prisoner reentry programs in the U.S. that are specifically designed to support incarcerated mothers and their families. The purpose of the Look Up and Hope initiative is to address this critical gap in services. Five pilot sites with a strong history of service to incarcerated women and their families—Volunteers of America Dakotas, Volunteers of America Illinois, Volunteers of America Indiana, Volunteers of America Northern New England and Volunteers of America Texas—are currently involved in designing and implementing the initiative. With support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Volunteers of America National Office and a variety of federal, state, and local grants, these sites are attempting to provide comprehensive, coordinated, longterm services for incarcerated mothers, their children and their children’s caregivers. Some of the supportive services currently being offered to LUH participants include substance abuse and mental health counseling, vocational training and employment services, rapid re-housing assistance, parenting classes, individual and family therapy, case management services (including home visits from trained clinical social workers), family group conferencing, after school and summer programming for youth and concrete supports (such as assistance with food, clothing and transportation). In designing and implementing the Look Up and Hope initiative, Volunteers of America has partnered with Wilder Research, an independent nonprofit research group in St. Paul, Minn. that specializes in applied social science research. Wilder’s chief role in the initiative has been assisting Volunteers of America in ensuring that their approach to addressing maternal incarceration is strongly research-based and builds on the best available evidence-based practices. In late 2009, Wilder’s research staff collaborated with the field staff of the five pilot LUH sites to carry out one of the nation’s first multiple site, qualitative studies of the strengths and needs of families affected by maternal incarceration. The purpose of this study was to (1) better understand the needs of the specific families being served at the five Look Up and Hope sites, (2) assess the extent to which their needs match those described in the extant literature on families affected by maternal incarceration and (3) recommend any modifications to the LUH program model that might be necessary based on the study results. Wilder’s findings are the focus of this report. Details: Alexandria, VA: Volunteers of America, 2010. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 20, 2013 at: http://www.voa.org/Childhood-Disrupted-Report Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.voa.org/Childhood-Disrupted-Report Shelf Number: 129473 Keywords: Children of Prisoners (U.S.)Families of InmatesFemale InmatesPrisoner Reentry |
Author: McAleenan, Dawn Title: Is There a Difference in the Perception of Risk: Between IPP prisoners and members of the parole board' Summary: Background -- The IPP sentence is the fastest growing sentence in the UK. This growth in the population is due to large numbers of offenders being sentenced to IPP sentences and then becoming stagnant in the prison population, as they are unable to reduce their risk sufficiently and progress through the penal system. Despite this, few studies have explored risk in relation female IPPs and how this relates to public protection. Aim -- The aim of the research is to explore perception of risk as it applies to female prisoners sentenced to imprisonment for public protection (IPP). Method -- This research was conducted using semi-structured interview with ten female prisoners serving a sentence to imprisonment for Public Protection, two Legal Advisors and one Senior Member of the Parole Board. Conclusion -- The research found that there was a clear difference in the perception of risk from the female IPP prisoners and the Parole Board. These differences potentially have a profound effect upon the identification of risk factors and the way in which they are reduced. Details: London: The Griffins Society, 2012. 62p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Paper 2012/01: Accessed August 22, at: http://www.thegriffinssociety.org/Research%20Paper%202012-01.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.thegriffinssociety.org/Research%20Paper%202012-01.pdf Shelf Number: 129676 Keywords: Female InmatesParole BoardPrisoners (U.K.)Risk Assessment |
Author: Raeder, Lyrna Title: Pregnancy- and Child-Related Legal and Policy Issues Concerning Justice-Involved Women Summary: The potential for legal liability looms large for correctional administrators in prison, jail, probation, and parole settings. Although "litigation is always a possibility regardless of its ultimate likelihood of success, positive outcomes are more likely when legal issues have been anticipated and administrators can articulate appropriate reasons for the policy, practice or conduct in question." As the number of women under some form of correctional custody increases, administrators are tasked with establishing policies and practices around myriad issues that are unique to or occur with greater frequency with women in the correctional system. In 2003, the National Institute of Corrections published Gender Responsive Strategies: Research, Practice, and Guiding Principles for Women Offenders as the result of a multiyear project aimed at creating a foundation for administrators and practitioners to manage justice-involved women effectively. That document's appendix provided a legal overview of issues that affect women offenders, such as equal protection and access to facilities, programs, and services; staffing and supervision; sexual misconduct; due process challenges; and pregnancy- and child-related questions. This document-the first of a two-part series on legal issues affecting corrections with regard to justice-involved women-builds upon that appendix. It specifically focuses on reproductive health issues; pregnancy management, particularly with regard to obstetrics and gynecological health issues; pregnancy-related security considerations; visitation; the effect of parental incarceration on both the incarcerated mother and child; and how these issues must inform reentry planning. While many of these issues affect a small percentage of the overall corrections population, they may contribute to an increased outlay of resources, particularly with regard to reproductive, obstetrical, and gynecological issues. As with most correctional challenges, there is no one "right" way to deal with these types of issues. Because of changes in established practices and needed resources, corrections officials tasked with developing strategies to address these issues should collect data and analyze research from various sources and may look to case law and legal decisions for additional guidance. This document aims to assist administrators in developing policies and practices to address the issues common in female offender populations by providing the legal framework in which authorities made decisions and the contextual information around those decisions. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, 2013. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: NIC Accession No. 027701: Accessed January 27, 2014 at: http://static.nicic.gov/Library/027701.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://static.nicic.gov/Library/027701.pdf Shelf Number: 131806 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFemale InmatesFemale OffendersPregnant Inmates |
Author: Girma, Marchu Title: Detained: Women Asylum Seekers Locked Up in the UK Summary: In 2012, 6,071 women came to the UK seeking asylum in their own right and 1,902 women who had sought asylum were detained. For this report, Women for Refugee Women talked to 46 women who had sought asylum and had been detained, mainly in Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre, about their experiences. The report also includes new official statistics on women who have sought asylum and been detained, supplied by the Home Office to Women for Refugee Women. Persecution We found that 33 women, or 72%, said that they had been raped, 19 women, or 41%, said that they had been tortured. 40 women, over 85%, had been either raped or tortured. More than half of the women we spoke to said that they had been persecuted, 'Because I am a woman.' Eight women, or 18%, were persecuted because they are lesbians. 'When the big door closed it brought back everything that had happened to me back home when I was in prison. I thought that I was going to be raped. The fear overtook me. I felt that I was not strong enough to go through anything like that again.' Despair All of the women in our sample told us that detention made them unhappy, 93% felt depressed, 85% felt scared, and more than half thought about killing themselves. Ten women, more than one in five, had tried to kill themselves. One third had been on suicide watch in detention. 'Living is not worthwhile anymore. Being dead would be much better.' Time Within our sample, the shortest stay in detention was three days, the longest stay was 11 months and the average was nearly three months. Home Office statistics show that of the 1,867 women who had sought asylum and left detention in 2012, 735, or 40%, had been detained for more than a month. 'The most depressing thing is that you don't know how long you're going to be here or if you'll still be here tomorrow.' Staff 40 women said they had been guarded by male staff and 70% of these said this made them uncomfortable. 50% said a member of staff had verbally abused them. Three women said they had been physically assaulted and one said she was sexually assaulted. 'They are verbally abusive in here... They just see you like animals.' 'The way they treat you. They want to get rid of you. You feel neglected and unwanted.' Detained Fast Track 12 women in our sample were held in the Detained Fast Track, in which the whole asylum case is heard in detention at accelerated speed. All but one said they were victims of rape or torture. In 2012, 429 women who had sought asylum were taken into the Detained Fast Track, of whom 20, or fewer than 5%, were granted leave to remain at the initial decision. 'Fast track makes you feel nervous and unsafe. Constant worrying and heartache.' Outcomes Home Office statistics released for this report show that of the 1,867 women who had sought asylum and who left detention in 2012, only 674, or 36%, were removed from the UK. The others were released into the UK. Our research suggests that this unnecessary detention has an ongoing impact on the mental health of vulnerable women. 'When I left detention, Yarl's Wood followed me to Manchester. Sometimes I feel like I'm in a trance, I feel I hear the footsteps of the officers, I hear the banging of the doors and the sound of their keys. Even though I'm out of detention, I'm not really out - I still have those dreams.' Recommendations We believe that detention has no place in the asylum process and that women who seek sanctuary in the UK should not be detained while their cases are being considered. Their cases can be heard while they are living in the community at much less cost and with less trauma to the asylum seekers themselves. For more detailed recommendations see page 43. Details: London: Women for Refugee Women, 2014. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 12, 2014 at: http://refugeewomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/WRWDetained.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://refugeewomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/WRWDetained.pdf Shelf Number: 131860 Keywords: Asylum, Right ofFemale InmatesPolitical Refugees |
Author: Dwyer, James G. Title: Jailing Black Babies Summary: In many situations of family dysfunction stemming from poverty, the interests of parents are in conflict with the interests of their offspring. This presents a dilemma for liberals. We want to mitigate the harsh consequences and suffering that conditions we deem unjust have caused some adults, especially adults of minority race. But we are also concerned about the welfare of children born into impoverished and troubled communities. The predominant liberal response to this dilemma has been to sidestep it by ignoring or denying the conflict and to then take positions aimed at protecting parents' interests, without giving serious attention to the impact on children. The result is a set of liberal polies that effectively imprison black children in dysfunctional families and communities and so ensure that they fall into the inter-generational cycle of poverty, addiction, and criminality. Epitomizing this phenomenon is the fast-growing phenomenon of states' placing newborn children, predominantly of minority race, into prison to live for months or years with their incarcerated mothers. Advocates for incarcerated women, not advocates for children, have promoted prison nurseries, and they have done so with no research support for any hope of positive child welfare outcomes. Conservative legislators and prison officials agree to experiment with such programs when convinced they will reduce recidivism among female convicts, a supposition that also lacks empirical support. Remarkably, states have placed babies in prisons without anyone undertaking an analysis of the constitutionality of doing so. This Article presents a compelling child welfare case against prison nurseries, based on rigorous examination of the available empirical evidence, and it presents the first published analysis of how constitutional and statutory rules governing incarceration and civil commitment apply to housing of children in prisons. It shows that prison nursery programs harm the great majority of children who begin life in them, and it argues that placing infants in prison violates their Fourteenth Amendment substantive and procedural due process rights as well as federal and state legislation prohibiting placement of minors in adult prisons. This Article further challenges liberal family policy more generally. Its final Part describes other policy contexts in which liberal advocacy and scholarship relating to persons who are poor or of minority race consistently favors the interests of adults in this population over the interests of children. It offers a diagnosis of why this occurs, and it explains why this is both morally untenable and ultimately self-defeating for liberals committed to racial equality and social justice. The Article's broader thesis is that liberals bear a large share of the responsibility for perpetuation of blacks' subordination. Details: Williamsburg, VA: William & Mary Law School, 2013. 89p. Source: Internet Resource: William & Mary Law School Research Paper No. 09-239: Accessed March 12, 2014 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2231562 Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2231562 Shelf Number: 131875 Keywords: Child WelfareChildren of PrisonersFemale InmatesPrison Nurseries |
Author: Irish Penal Reform Trust Title: Women in the Criminal Justice System: Towards a Non-Custodial Approach Summary: The IPRT Position Paper 10: Women in the Criminal Justice System - Towards a non-custodial approach includes an account of recent trends in the imprisonment of women in Ireland. It goes on to look at the complex range of needs experienced by many women convicted of an offence and the associated overuse of remand for women offenders. It then discusses the issues faced by women in prison who have caring responsibilities, followed by a section on challenges faced by women leaving prison. Key Messages - The number and proportion of women in the Irish prison population has increased significantly in recent years. Most women are committed to prison for non-violent offences, such as non-payment of fines. Consequences have included overcrowding in women's prisons and an overuse of temporary release. - Women offenders tend to come from a background of social disadvantage and poverty, and often suffer from mental health problems, substance dependency, accommodation problems and poor family relationships. These issues can make it difficult for women to adhere to bail conditions, which has led to an overuse of remand for women offenders. This in turn has negative implications for children of women who are imprisoned on remand and the employment prospects of these women. - A high proportion of women in prison have children. Women also play an important role in caring for dependent relatives. Women who are imprisoned can no longer fulfil their caring responsibilities and the consequences of this can be significant. This is particularly an issue for mothers with babies, due to the absence of a mother and baby unit in either female prison in Ireland. - Women face a range of problems on being released from prison, relating to housing, accommodation and stability, and over half of women prisoners reoffend. - Developments in the UK have reflected a growing acknowledgement of the value of non-custodial alternatives and community-based supports for women offenders. This has also been highlighted by the UN, in the 'Bangkok Rules', which have informed the Irish Inspector of Prisons on the subject of women prisoners. - The 'one-stop-shop' approach to supporting women offenders in the community takes a holistic approach, with a range of supports and services provided in one location. A number of centres in the UK are based on this promising model. In Ireland, the Tus Nua project provides supported housing and other supports to women leaving the Dochas Centre. - This position paper makes two key recommendations: that a non-custodial approach should be adopted for women offenders; and in the few cases where prison is necessary, the negative impact of imprisonment on the women and those they care for should be minimised. The next section details developments in the UK and prison standards that reflect an increasing acknowledgement of the value of a community-based approach to dealing with women offenders. This is followed by an overview of some emerging models of good practice, followed by conclusions and two key recommendations. Details: Dublin: Irish Penal Reform Trust, 2013. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: IPRT Position Paper 10: Accessed March 14, 2014 at: http://www.iprt.ie/files/IPRT_Position_Paper_on_Women_in_the_Criminal_Justice_System.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Ireland URL: http://www.iprt.ie/files/IPRT_Position_Paper_on_Women_in_the_Criminal_Justice_System.pdf Shelf Number: 131924 Keywords: Alternatives to IncarcerationChildren of PrisonersCommunity Based CorrectionsCommunity CorrectionsFemale InmatesFemale OffendersWomen Inmates |
Author: Gobeil, Renee Title: Older Incarcerated Women Offenders: Social Support and Health Needs Summary: Due to the increasing aging offender population, and the limited research on older women offenders, a recent profile of older federal women offenders was undertaken by the Research Branch. While that study provided a preliminary descriptive profile of the levels of risk and need of older women, it also identified several areas that would benefit from further investigation. As a follow-up to the initial profile report, the goal of current study was to collect information concerning the unique needs of older women offenders in the areas of social support and health. What we did Interviews were conducted with 30 federal women offenders over the age of 50. The interview focused on the women's perceptions and experiences with sources of social support both internal and external to the institutions. Additionally, women's concerns regarding their physical and mental health, as well as their experiences with health care services were also explored throughout the interview. What we found Women were asked about their sources of social support outside (family, friends, community groups) and inside (staff, other inmates, programs/activities) the correctional facilities. All the women reported having at least one source of support available to them outside of the facility. Overall, they ranked the support they received from these external sources higher compared to institutional sources of support within the facilities. Most older women offenders (96%) identified having two or more physical health problems at the time of the study. Three common physical health problems that primarily affect older women include menopause, cancer (breast, uterus, and cervix), and osteoporosis. Half the women reported that they had experienced a mental health condition, symptom, or diagnosis since admission. Overall, older women were mostly satisfied with physical health care and psychological services; however, they identified limited access to both physical and mental health staff as an area of improvement. What it means Areas of improvement identified by the women include separate housing for older and younger offenders, and increased access to alternative health care options. Increased knowledge of these and other specific need areas will assist the Women Offender Sector in effectively addressing current barriers and planning for upcoming decisions relating to the use of new infrastructure. Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service Canada, 2012. 83p. To obtain a PDF version of the full report, contact the following address: research@csc-scc.gc.ca Source: Internet Resource: 2012 No. R-275: Accessed March 28, 2014 at: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/005/008/092/005008-0275-eng.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Canada URL: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/005/008/092/005008-0275-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 132023 Keywords: Elderly InmatesFemale InmatesFemale OffendersHealth Care |
Author: Booth, Laura Title: Effective Correctional Programs for Women Offenders Summary: The provision of effective correctional programming is central to the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) in achieving its goal of successful offender rehabilitation. Accordingly, the current Program Strategy for Women Offenders suggests that the goals of successful rehabilitation are best achieved by providing programming that follows empirically supported elements of the risk-need-responsivity (RNR) programming model within a gender-responsive framework. CSC maintains that programs should be women-centered, holistic, and acknowledge the diversity of women offenders within a supportive environment. The purpose of the current study was to assess the extent to which correctional programming for women offenders successfully integrates both the traditional programming aspects of the RNR model and the principles of gender-responsive programming, as outlined in the Program Strategy for Women Offenders. The Women's Violence Prevention Program (WVPP) and the Women Offender Substance Abuse Program (WOSAP) were used in the current analysis as examples of programs developed by CSC following a gender-responsive structure. Data were collected regarding these programs via a series of assessments and reviews during three separate stages with three different groups of participants. In the first stage, key informants involved in program development and facilitation participated in the completion of the Correctional Program Assessment Inventory 2000 (CPAI - 2000; Gendreau & Andrews, 2001) and the Gender-Responsive Program Assessment (GRPA; Covington, 2007). The second stage involved staff facilitators of the aforementioned programs who completed self-report measures including the Gender-Responsive Questionnaire (GRQ) - Staff Version and the Effective Treatment Element Questionnaire (ETEQ; Nesovic, 2003). In the final stage, women offenders who had completed WVPP or any phase of WOSAP from two federal institutions, (Grand Valley Institution for Women and Nova Institution for Women), participated in an interview-based questionnaire. A total of 15 staff facilitators and 15 women offenders participated. Overall, responses from both staff and offenders supported the effective integration of RNR principles within a gender-responsive framework. One area of concern that was highlighted by both staff and women was limitations in the provision of culturally sensitive programming. Responses also indicated certain gaps in the provision of ongoing support and booster sessions, while staff noted operational issues impacting the provision of programs such as high staff turnover and limited funding. Although the current research is preliminary in nature and needs to be interpreted with caution given small sample sizes, results do support CSC's ability to target established elements of correctional programming while implementing a gender-responsive approach. Results also suggest that a continued focus on the provision of culturally sensitive programming within the gender-responsive framework is needed. Additionally, in order to facilitate successful program implementation, operational and implementation issues related to staffing and ongoing supervision are other areas that warrant additional attention. Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada, 2012. 58p. Source: Internet Resource: 2012 No. R-279: Accessed April 7, 2014 at: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/lbrr/archives/cn21543-eng.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Canada URL: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/lbrr/archives/cn21543-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 132042 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale OffendersGender Specific ResponsesTreatment Programs |
Author: Earle, Jenny Title: Brighter Futures: Working Together to Reduce Women's Offending Summary: This briefing is intended to: Raise awareness among justice, community and health service providers and commissioners about the characteristics and needs of women who come into contact with the criminal justice system, and their obligations to meet those needs. - Provide an overview of multi-agency approaches, such as Liaison and Diversion services and Integrated Offender Management (IOM) arrangements, and illustrate improved outcomes for women and their families as a result of effective local partnerships. - Ensure women-specific provision is included in the commissioning of Liaison and Diversion and other early intervention services. - Inform and encourage the development of alternatives to prosecution where these are proportionate and effective responses to women who offend. - Provide examples of good practice where women are enabled to take responsibility for their lives, and continue caring for their children and other dependants wherever possible. - Help inform current practice and encourage agencies to continue to develop services and approaches that meet the needs of women, and build a robust evidence base on what works. - Encourage the development of co-ordinated local strategies and services to support women with multiple needs, including those being supervised in the community. Women account for a minority of all those coming into contact with criminal justice agencies, and their specific circumstances and needs are often overlooked or misunderstood by a system which has largely developed in response to men's offending profile and behaviour. Most women who enter custody under sentence serve short prison sentences for petty but sometimes persistent offending, and many have themselves been victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse. Many are mothers so the consequences of criminal sanctions rebound on their children. Some have been trafficked and coerced into offending but not identified as victims of trafficking and given the help to which they are entitled. The briefing highlights the specific needs of women, profiles existing initiatives and partnerships that seek to deal more effectively with women's offending, and provides links to other useful resources. It should be of interest to those with policy, funding, commissioning and service delivery responsibilities. Details: London: Prison Reform Trust, 2014. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 24, 2014 at: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/Brighter%20Futures%2025314web.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/Brighter%20Futures%2025314web.pdf Shelf Number: 132174 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Offenders (U.K.)Gender Specific Responses |
Author: Giacomello, Corina Title: Women, Drug Offenses and Penitentiary Systems in Latin America Summary: The number of women in prison for drug-related offenses has increased since the 1980s, rising sharply since the 1990s. This has occurred worldwide, and Latin America is no exception. Women increasingly enter drug-trafficking circuits as consumers, low-level dealers and local (including in prison), national and international transporters. In various countries around the world, the female penitentiary population has grown faster than the male, although women are still the minority. This paper analyzes the roles played by women in criminal networks in Latin America and the means by which they become involved, highlighting the ways in which gender relations and socio-economic factors shape the configuration of international drug trafficking networks and women's participation. It also critically examines the main characteristics of the region's penitentiary systems from a gender standpoint. Finally, it offers a series of conclusions and proposals aimed at promoting a review and reform of drug and penitentiary policies. Details: London: International Drug Policy Consortium, 2013. 23p. Source: Internet Resource: IDPC Briefing Paper: Accessed May 5, 2014 at: http://idpc.net/publications/2013/11/idpc-briefing-paper-women-drug-offenses-and-penitentiary-systems-in-latin-america Year: 2013 Country: Latin America URL: http://idpc.net/publications/2013/11/idpc-briefing-paper-women-drug-offenses-and-penitentiary-systems-in-latin-america Shelf Number: 132236 Keywords: Criminal NetworksDrug TraffickingFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale Prisoners |
Author: Foley, Jillian Title: Gender-Responsive Policies and Practices in Maine: What Incarcerated Women at the Women's Center Say They Need from the Criminal Justice System Summary: Female offenders have unique experiences that have led to their incarceration compared to men. Maine women offenders are no exception to this fact. These women, while incarcerated are still mothers, grandmothers, daughters, friends, business owners, students, and members of our community. Incarcerated women need the same things we all need: to feel respected, to have hope for the future, to be able to support themselves financially, and to feel connected to their families, friends, and community. Research shows that some of the most important factors that can help reduce recidivism among women is to ensure they can support themselves and their families through gainful employment, have a support system in place to deal with any mental health, trauma related, or substance abuse issues, and have a pro-social peer and family support network. Corrections facilities are designed with the purpose to "correct" the criminal behavior that has resulted in incarceration, and therefore should focus their policies, practices, and programs on those risk factors and needs that will help to achieve this goal. In order to reduce recidivism and truly help these women, criminal justice systems must implement gender-responsive policies that address the distinct needs and experiences of incarcerated women. The purpose of this study was to give a voice to Maine's incarcerated women and potentially influence the ongoing policy revision process in Maine. The researcher conducted 3 focus groups with 18 residents of the Women's Center- a gender-responsive facility that houses about 70 to 80 incarcerated women at the Maine Correctional Facility in Windham, ME. Researchers wanted to know what works well at the women's center, what does not work, and how the women felt the policies could be improved to better fit their needs as incarcerated women. The perspectives of the participants varied, however, the findings of the study were largely in line with the literature guidelines for gender-responsive policies and practices. The participants expressed a desire for an environment where they can feel safe, respected and empowered to change their lives for the better. In order to live independent, crime free lives after they leave, the participants said they need more hands on, concrete re-entry planning and help finding supports in the community they are returning to. The women also expressed a need for job training and experience. For many of these women the most important motivation to change was the connection to their families and the hope for re-unification. In order to address these needs, gender-responsive policies and practices need to be developed and consistently implemented. Details: Portland, ME: Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine, 2012. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: http://usm.maine.edu/sites/default/files/cmhs/Jillian%20Foley%20Capstone.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://usm.maine.edu/sites/default/files/cmhs/Jillian%20Foley%20Capstone.pdf Shelf Number: 132359 Keywords: Correctional ProgramFemale InmatesFemale Offenders (U.S.)Female PrisonersGender Specific ResponsesPrisoner Reentry |
Author: Scott, Terri-Lynne Title: Women Gang Inmates: A Profile Summary: Why we did this study Gangs pose a risk to the safety and security of both the correctional facilities where they serve their sentence, and the communities upon release. The rise in the number of women entering federal custody with gang affiliations, up 85% since 1997, suggests there is an important need to generate a profile of gang-involved women so effective gang management and intervention strategies can be developed. What we did All data were extracted from the Correctional Service of Canada's (CSC) Offender Management System (OMS) for all women gang-affiliated or gang members admitted to the CSC between 1978 and 2009. A comparison sample was generated by matching non-affiliated federal women offenders on sentence length and age. The resulting sample included 337 gang involved women inmates and 337 non-gang involved women inmates. What we found Compared with the non-gang group, women gang-involved inmates typically had more extensive criminal histories, static risk and dynamic risk (needs), lower motivation and reintegration potential, and poor institutional adjustment indicated by involvement in institutional incidents and involuntary segregation. At intake, gang-involved women were more likely to be rated as as medium or maximum security level. In addition, many of the gang-involved women had both prior youth and adult convictions, and had previously served a sentence of up to 4 years. Specific needs in the areas of procriminal attitudes and associates, which translated into difficulties within the institution as increased violent incidents and disruptive behaviour were found for the gang group more often. These women also participated in more core corretional programs for violent offenders, substance abuse, education, living skills, and womens programs than their non-gang involved counterparts. What it means Gang-involved women offenders have more serious criminal histories and are more disruptive in the institution. Identification of high level's of criminogenic needs among these women suggests that program participation and interventions that encourage program participation with resistant offenders might be areas that would lead to effective reductions in gang membership. Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada, 2012. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report No. R-272: Accessed May 15, 2014 at: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/005/008/092/005008-0272-eng.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Canada URL: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/005/008/092/005008-0272-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 132369 Keywords: Female Gang MembersFemale InmatesFemale Offenders (Canada)Prison Gangs |
Author: Stout, Jesse Title: No More Shackles: A report on the written policies of California's counties under the new law that limits the use of restraints on pregnant prisoners Summary: Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC) believes in the human dignity of people in prison and advocates for the rights of pregnant prisoners in California. Pregnant women in correctional facilities are more likely to experience miscarriage, preeclampsia, preterm birth, and low birth-weight than pregnant women who are not incarcerated. Restraints that interfere with the ability of a pregnant woman to maneuver increase the likelihood of these and other complications. In 2012, LSPC worked with author Assembly member Toni Atkins and supporters Nancy Skinner and Holly Mitchell to enact legislation that prohibits the most dangerous forms of restraint from being used on any incarcerated woman known to be pregnant (PC S 3407). LSPC has been working to enact and enforce bans on shackling pregnant prisoners since 2005. In March 2013, LSPC embarked on a project to determine whether all 58 California counties had written new policies on the shackling of pregnant prisoners to comply with the 2012 legislation. This report explains the new statute, describes our efforts to obtain documentation from the counties, outlines our findings, and makes recommendations for additional legislation, regulation, and research. Our findings address each county's policy as it is written; we are not able to report on the counties' practices. Details: San Francisco: Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, 2014. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 7, 2014 at: http://www.prisonerswithchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/NO-MORE-SHACKLES-report-LSPC-2.18.14-1.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.prisonerswithchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/NO-MORE-SHACKLES-report-LSPC-2.18.14-1.pdf Shelf Number: 132039 Keywords: Female InmatesPregnant Inmates |
Author: World Health Organization. Region Office for Europe Title: Women's Health in Prison: Action guidance and checklists to review current policies and practices Summary: The checklists in this document are an important tool in ensuring greater safety and better quality medical care for women in prison, and are designed to assist a review of current policies and practices relating to women's health in prisons. They follow from the Declaration on women's health in prison: correcting gender inequity in prison health and a background paper on women's health in prison, published in April 2009 by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and are therefore based on the evidence presented. While the checklists are aimed primarily at decision- and policy-makers, senior prison managers and prison health staff, there are important interconnections between them. They can also be useful for civil society organizations working on or monitoring the situation of women and their health in prison settings. Details: Copenhagen: WHO, 2011. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 4, 2014 at: http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/health-determinants/prisons-and-health/publications/2011/womens-health-in-prison-action-guidance-and-checklists-to-review-current-policies-and-practices Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/health-determinants/prisons-and-health/publications/2011/womens-health-in-prison-action-guidance-and-checklists-to-review-current-policies-and-practices Shelf Number: 133172 Keywords: Correctional InstitutionsFemale InmatesFemale PrisonersHealth Care |
Author: California. Office of the Inspector General Title: Special review: Female Inmates Serving Securing Housing Unit Terms in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Summary: From July 8, 2013, to September 5, 2013, inmates in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's (CDCR or department) security housing units (SHUs) staged a hunger strike to protest, among other issues, California's use of solitary confinement. As part of the monitoring duties of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the agency dispatched inspectors and attorneys to the institutions to ensure that CDCR staff were following policies and procedures, and to monitor conditions of confinement, medical and mental health checks, and the medical and dietary procedures for food consumption. The hunger strike ended on September 5, 2013. With the end of the hunger strike, the Chairpersons of both the Assembly and Senate Committees on Public Safety convened a joint public hearing on October 9, 2013, on issues relating to segregated housing in California's prisons. At the joint legislative hearing, the Inspector General gave testimony on the current policies and procedures and conditions within CDCR's security housing units. As a direct result of testimony at the aforementioned joint legislative hearing, on October 31, 2013, the Senate Committee on Rules requested the Office of the Inspector General further examine the conditions specifically related to female inmates serving security housing unit terms. This review and assessment evaluates the terms and conditions of confinement for the 160 inmates who were serving SHU terms between October 9, 2013 (the date of the legislative hearing), and October 31, 2013 (the date of the Senate's request for review), in the California Institution for Women (CIW) security housing unit and the CIW psychiatric services unit (PSU), and also the administrative segregation unit (ASU) at the Central California Women's Facility (CCWF). This report includes an overview of female security housing units; an overall assessment of the conditions of confinement for female inmates serving SHU terms, including, housing, programs, and privileges; and a review and assessment of the disciplinary actions and SHU terms imposed. Details: Sacramento: Office of the Inspector General, 2013. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 2, 2014 at: http://www.oig.ca.gov/media/reports/Reports/Reviews/Special%20Review%20-%20Female%20Inmates%20Serving%20Security%20Housing%20Unit%20Terms%20in%20CDCR.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.oig.ca.gov/media/reports/Reports/Reviews/Special%20Review%20-%20Female%20Inmates%20Serving%20Security%20Housing%20Unit%20Terms%20in%20CDCR.pdf Shelf Number: 133544 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Prisoners (California)PrisonsSolitary Confinement |
Author: Epstein, Rona Title: Mothers in Prison: The sentencing of mothers and the rights of the child Summary: Of the women in prison 66 per cent are mothers of dependent children. Imprisonment of a father or mother entails the forcible separation of a child from its parents and therefore impacts on the child's rights under Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights. Thus sentencing courts are required to obtain information on dependent children and then conduct a balancing exercise weighing the rights of potentially affected children against the seriousness of the parent's offence. Do the courts always obtain information about the affected children, and are the rights of the child in fact considered by the criminal courts? This is a matter of significance for the welfare of children and for our system of justice. I have undertaken research to explore to what extent, if at all, the required balancing exercise is being carried out in the English criminal courts. The research covered 75 cases of the imposition of custody (suspended and immediate) on mothers who care for a dependent child. My research found that, in general, the rights of the child were not considered when their mothers were sent to prison. I argue that this is a flaw in our legal process, which should be rectified on social, legal and moral grounds. Details: London: The Howard League, 2014. 13p. Source: Internet Resource: Howard League What is Justice? Working Papers 3/2014: Accessed October 13, 2014 at: http://socialwelfare.bl.uk/subject-areas/services-client-groups/adult-offenders/howardleagueforpenalreform/162422HLWP_3_2014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://socialwelfare.bl.uk/subject-areas/services-client-groups/adult-offenders/howardleagueforpenalreform/162422HLWP_3_2014.pdf Shelf Number: 133885 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFemale InmatesFemale Offenders (U.K.)Female Prisoners |
Author: Soroptimist International Title: Transforming Lives: Reducing Women's Imprisonment Summary: In december 2011 the Soroptimist International UK Programme Action Committee (UKPAC) took the decision to work in partnership with the Prison Reform Trust to reduce women's imprisonment across the UK. The decision reflected concern that women who have committed petty and non-violent offences are unnecessarily and disproportionately imprisoned when community solutions are often more effective and less damaging for children and families. The project also ties in with Soroptimists' flagship project Violence Against Women - Stop It Now, as abusive and coercive relationships are a significant driver to women's offending, and a majority of women in prison report having been abused at some point in their life. This report, based on information gathered by Soroptimists across the UK in 2013-14 about what happens in their local areas to women who offend, or are at risk of offending, highlights progress and good practice whilst identifying constraints, gaps and shortcomings in local service provision. We are grateful to the hundreds of Soroptimists who have done so much to raise awareness of the over-imprisonment of women in the UK and the consequences for children and families, and contribute to progress towards a more effective and humane approach to women's justice. Details: London: Prison Reform Trust, 2014. 128p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 28, 2015 at: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/transforming%20lives.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/transforming%20lives.pdf Shelf Number: 134485 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Offenders (U.K.) |
Author: Women's Foundation of California Title: Bias Behind Bars: Decreasing Disproportionate Rates of Incarcerated Women in California and Nationwide for Low-Level Offenses Summary: A new analysis of data regarding California's massive prison system underscores an emerging- and troubling-body of research nationally: Girls and women are disproportionately incarcerated in state prison for low-level, petty crimes. Even more troubling are the profound ripple effects this has on the stability of families and entire communities. These problems are national in scope, but a new review of statistics from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reveals telling numbers about this overlooked trend. This report highlights some examples of unequal treatment of women within the criminal justice system. We call attention to the fact that: 1. There are gender differences in treatment within the criminal justice system; 2. The long-term impacts of a felony conviction differ between men and women; and 3. Women's histories of abuse prior to incarceration impact their experiences while incarcerated and after release. As policymakers and the general public work to reform criminal justice systems (particularly to modernize approaches to holding people accountable for nonviolent offenses), it is critical for women's needs and circumstances to inform the changes underway. Trends related to gender must be considered in any criminal justice reform efforts, and institutional practices within the criminal justice system and post-release must take into account the ways in which the needs of men and women differ. We also share stories of three formerly incarcerated California women who have overcome the odds to rebuild their lives. Details: San Francisco: Women's Foundation of California, 2014. 18p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 5, 2015 at: http://www.womensfoundca.org/sites/default/files/Bias-Behind-Bars.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.womensfoundca.org/sites/default/files/Bias-Behind-Bars.pdf Shelf Number: 134545 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale OffendersGender Bias |
Author: Kraft-Stolar, Tamar Title: Reproductive Injustice:The State of Reproductive Health Care for Women in New York State Prisons Summary: each and every visit the Correctional Association of New York (CA) conducts to women's prisons in New York, we meet women who tell us about the serious problems they face in accessing appropriate health care and the particular challenges of securing women-specific care during their incarceration. The consistency and intensity of these concerns over the years led us to undertake this study, the most extensive study of reproductive health care in a state prison system to date. Shining a light on this topic is critical because access to quality reproductive health care is a basic human right, as is a woman's ability to control her own reproductive decisions. Prison infringes on those rights, exposing women to substandard reproductive health care and denying women the right to choose when to have children and the right to be full-time parents to the children they already have. Prisons fuel social and racial injustice, undermining the conditions necessary for women to have reproductive autonomy, and to live safe and fulfilling lives. Reproductive health also serves as an important lens onto the unique experiences of incarcerated women and the dehumanization that defines life in prison. It illuminates the specific degradation that accompanies being a woman in prison, from shackling during pregnancy to the separation of mothers from their newborns to the denial of sufficient sanitary supplies. Finally, reproductive health care in prison is fundamental to the well-being of families and communities as almost everyone in prison eventually goes home. Despite this, state prison officials do not pay adequate attention to reproductive health care and neither do public health authorities when this care happens behind prison walls. The lack of oversight is alarming considering that the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) is responsible for providing reproductive health care to more than 2,300 women on any given day, and to nearly 4,000 women over the course of one year, about 40 of whom are pregnant. Women in prisons across the country face similar problems in accessing adequate reproductive health care and humane treatment, and the explosion in the number of incarcerated women over the past few decades has only exacerbated these problems. The U.S. women's prison population rose from about 11,200 in 1977 to about 111,300 in 2013, an increase of nearly 900% over a 36-year time span. As a result, the U.S. currently incarcerates more women per capita than any other country in the world: we have less than 5% of the world's women yet nearly 33% of the world's incarcerated women. This massive overuse of incarceration does not affect all women equally. Women in prison are overwhelmingly from low-income communities, and a vastly disproportionate number are women of color. Many have had little formal education, and many struggle with serious health conditions, including substance abuse and mental illness. Almost all have brutal histories of abuse. A majority are mothers, often of small children, and many were caring for their children on their own before prison. Most women are in prison for crimes related to addiction, poverty, mental illness, domestic violence and trauma. These realities reflect the criminal justice system's racism and targeting of marginalized communities, and our society's destructive over-reliance on incarceration as a response to problems that are, at their root, social and economic. Details: New York: Women in Prison Project, Correctional Association of New York, 2015. 233p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 19, 2015 at: http://www.correctionalassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Reproductive-Injustice-FULL-REPORT-FINAL-2-11-15.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.correctionalassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Reproductive-Injustice-FULL-REPORT-FINAL-2-11-15.pdf Shelf Number: 134657 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale PrisonersHealth CareMedical CarePregnant Inmates (New York) |
Author: Girma, Marchu Title: I Am Human: Refugee Women's Experiences of Detention in the UK Summary: I Am Human, looks closely at the experiences of women detained in Yarl's Wood. It reveals that women are routinely watched and searched by male staff in the detention centre, despite Home Office denials. It is to be launched on 14 January at a conference in London with Stella Creasy MP, Richard Fuller MP, and over 100 refugee women and supporters. This report looks at the experiences of 38 women who came to the UK to seek asylum and were detained in Yarl's Wood detention centre between June 2012 and October 2014. It focuses particularly on what these women told us about how they were treated during their arrests, detention and attempted removals. We undertook this research in order to gain more insight into the way that the Home Office and their contractors treat women who come to this country seeking protection. 6396 women came to this country to claim asylum in their own right in 2013, out of 23,584 asylum applicants overall. During 2013, the Home Office detained 2038 women who had come to the UK to seek asylum. 43% were held for more than a month. (Many of those held in immigration detention are not asylum seekers, but we are only looking in our research at the experiences of those who come to the UK seeking asylum.) Details: London: Women for Refugee Women, 2015. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: http://refugeewomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/WRW_IamHuman_report-for-web.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://refugeewomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/WRW_IamHuman_report-for-web.pdf Shelf Number: 134681 Keywords: Asylum SeekersFemale InmatesImmigrant DetentionRefugees |
Author: Mills, Helen Title: Empower, resist, transform. A collection of essays Summary: This essay collection highlights how women facing criminalisation and gender based violence are repeatedly failed by society. Helen Mills, Rebecca Roberts and Laurel Townhead describe the shortcomings of criminal justice approaches that often replicate and reinforce inequalities rather than tackle the root causes of harm and violence. The document offers a critical and gendered analysis to the challenges of radically scaling back criminal justice. It also includes a copy of the 'Call to Action' issued by the Centre and the charity, Women in Prison. This work is part of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies' Justice Matters initiative, motivated by the belief that the United Kingdom's over reliance on policing, prosecution and punishment is socially harmful, economically wasteful, and prevents us from tackling the complex problems our society faces in a sustainable, socially just manner. Details: London: Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, 2015. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 19, 2015 at: http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/sites/crimeandjustice.org.uk/files/Empower%20Resist%20Transform%20January%202015_0.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/sites/crimeandjustice.org.uk/files/Empower%20Resist%20Transform%20January%202015_0.pdf Shelf Number: 134984 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Prisoners (U.K.)Gender-Based ViolenceViolence Against Women |
Author: Commission on Sex in Prison (U.K.) Title: Women in prison: coercive and consensual sex Summary: Key points - Women in prison are particularly vulnerable and are more likely than men to have a history of being a victim of violence or sexual abuse. Many women seek comfort in prison to cope with their vulnerabilities - Relationships between women prisoners are very different to those found in men's prisons. Relationships with staff also differ - There is evidence that some women have sexual relationships with other women prisoners - Prison staff reported that women were more overt than men about their friendships and relationships with other prisoners - The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman found that intimate relationships between women could be a source of comfort or of bullying or abuse - Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons found that there was a lack of tolerance in some prisons to non-sexual physical contact between women - Women are at greater risk than men of entering prison with a sexually transmitted infection including HIV - Women in prison have different sexual health needs to men in prison. They should have access to dental dams to prevent the spread of STIs - Some women prisoners had been coerced into sex with prison staff in return for favours such as cigarettes or alcohol - There is evidence that assaults known as 'decrotching', where women prisoners forcibly retrieve drugs hidden inside a woman's vagina, occur in women's prisons. Details: London: Howard League for Penal Reform, 2014. 6p. Source: Internet Resource: Briefing paper 2: Accessed April 1, 2014 at: http://www.commissiononsexinprison.org/fileadmin/howard_league/user/pdf/Publications/Women_sex_commission.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.commissiononsexinprison.org/fileadmin/howard_league/user/pdf/Publications/Women_sex_commission.pdf Shelf Number: 135101 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Prisoners (U.K.)Prison RapeSex in PrisonSexual Assaults |
Author: Harris, Aileen Title: Therapeutic Alliance and Offender-Staff Relations in Women's Corrections Summary: What it means The current study demonstrates that healthy working relationships between institutional parole officers (POs) and women offenders may contribute to the overall adjustment of women during their incarceration. Although the findings are preliminary in nature, the results emphasize the importance of positive staff-offender interactions, the practice of dynamic security, and the selection of correctional staff with qualities that foster positive alliances with offenders in promoting correctional objectives. What we found Results of a correlation analysis demonstrated that women's perceived level of bonding with their PO was related to their institutional adjustment. Women with higher bond ratings were less likely to engage in institutional misconducts (r = -.22, p < .05). Interview responses from both staff and offenders further supported the importance of maintaining relational health and positive alliances within the institutional setting. Women consistently highlighted the importance of communication, interpersonal and relational skills that facilitate positive alliances between staff and offenders. Staff demonstrated their knowledge of the construct of therapeutic alliance, its meaning, and its application to the job, while also acknowledging the challenges of establishing alliances with such a diverse population within an environment that requires a focus on both positive interactions and safety/security concerns. The majority of staff and women indicated that dynamic security was being practiced across all of the women's sites. However, both groups also recognized certain operational demands and the provision of resources as obstacles in the maintenance of alliances. Why we did this study The current study emerged in response to an increasing focus in correctional literature on the importance of therapeutic alliance. Therapeutic alliance has been conceptualized as the collaborative and affective rapport established between a treatment provider and his/her client(s). The quality of this alliance is an important variable in the treatment process, affecting rehabilitation outcomes across diverse modes of treatment. Research in this area in correctional settings, particularly in settings with women offenders, is limited. The purpose of the current study, therefore, was to investigate the extent to which relationships between women offenders and institutional staff in the federal correctional system are characterized by healthy connections while exploring the construct of the therapeutic alliance. What we did Participants consisted of 124 women offenders and 88 correctional staff from all six women's federal facilities in Canada. Measures of alliance and relational health were used as predictors of institutional misconducts. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather information regarding staff and offender perceptions of alliances overall within the facility as well as the impact of the operational environment (dynamic/static security) on the development of such alliances. Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada, 2014. 1p. (Summary report). Full report is available upon request. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report No. R-305: Accessed April 1, 2015 at: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/005/008/092/005008-0305-eng.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Canada URL: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/005/008/092/005008-0305-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 135120 Keywords: Corrections OfficersFemale InmatesFemale OffendersOffender Treatment ProgramsParole OfficersParolees |
Author: Campaniello, Nadia Title: Women in crime: Over the last 50 years women have been increasing their participation in the labor market and in the crime market Summary: In recent decades, women's participation in the labor market has increased considerably in most countries and is converging toward the participation rate of men. Though on a lesser scale, a similar movement toward gender convergence seems to be occurring in the criminal world, though many more men than women still engage in criminal activity. Technological progress and social norms have freed women from the home, increasing their participation in both the labor market and the crime market. With crime no longer just men's business, it is important to investigate female criminal behavior to determine whether the policy prescriptions to reduce crime should differ for women. There is still a gender gap in the crime market, but the number of women committing crimes is on the rise, partly because other socio-economic gender gaps have been shrinking. Women have more freedom than in the past, and with that come more opportunities for crime. Despite increasing social equality, police and judicial systems still tend to be more lenient with female than with male offenders. Policies to reduce wage disparities between skilled and unskilled female workers, such as incentivizing female education, might reduce crime among disadvantaged women. Family support policies, by encouraging marriage and having children, might also reduce crime among women. Details: Bonn: IZA World of Labor, 2014. 10p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 24, 2015 at: http://wol.iza.org/articles/women-in-crime-1.pdf Year: 2014 Country: International URL: http://wol.iza.org/articles/women-in-crime-1.pdf Shelf Number: 135385 Keywords: Economics and CrimeFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersSocio-economic Conditions and Crime |
Author: United Nations Title: Handbook on Women and Imprisonment. 2nd edition, with reference to the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (The Bangkok Rules) Summary: The present Handbook forms part of a series of tools developed by The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to support countries in implementing the rule of law and the development of criminal justice reform. It is designed to be used by all actors involved in the criminal justice system, including policymakers, legislators, prison managers, prison staff, members of non-governmental organizations and other individuals interested or active in the field of criminal justice and prison reform. It can be used in a variety of contexts, both as a reference document and as a training tool. What the Handbook covers The main focus of the Handbook is female prisoners and guidance on the components of a gender-sensitive approach to prison management, taking into account the typical background of female prisoners and their special needs as women in prison (chapters 1 and 2). Three special categories of female prisoners have been included in chapter 2 of the Handbook: pretrial detainees, foreign national women and girls in prison (sections 13.1, 13.2 and 13.3). These three groups were selected because their vulnerability and special needs are particularly pronounced due to the cumulative effects of their status and gender. However, it is important to note that, according to Convention on the Rights of the Child-a legally binding instrument that most States have ratified or acceded to-States should only deprive a child of his or her liberty as a measure of last resort and for the shortest possible period of time (Art. 37 (b) CRC). In addition, girls and boys deprived of their liberty should be dealt with by a specialized juvenile justice system that promotes alternative measures to formal judicial institutionalization of girls should be avoided to the maximum possible extent, and separate strategies and policies in accordance with international standards need to be designed for the treatment and rehabilitation of this category of prisoners. The distinctive needs of minorities and indigenous peoples in terms of their access to gender and culture specific programmes and services are covered in chapter 2, as relevant. For more detailed guidance on the needs of women prisoners from ethnic and racial minority groups and indigenous peoples, as well as other groups, such as older women prisoners, women with disabilities and women under sentence of death, the reader should refer to the UNODC Handbook on Prisoners with Special Needs, which covers the needs of such prisoners, men and women. Reference will need to be made to both handbooks, when dealing with the situation of such categories of female prisoners. In view of the significant rise in the rate of women's imprisonment in many countries worldwide, the Handbook also provides an overview of measures that could be taken to reduce the female prison population (chapter 3). It puts forward some recommendations, taking into consideration the most common offences which lead to women's imprisonment and the harmful effects of imprisonment on the social reintegration of a large majority of female offenders. It must be emphasized that this section of the Handbook does not provide a comprehensive examination of the reasons for the growing rate of women's imprisonment in different regions and countries, nor detailed guidelines on how this challenge may be addressed in different contexts. Neither does it provide a thorough overview of the impact of women's imprisonment on their children, though this is a key concern that is repeatedly highlighted in the Handbook. It covers some of the issues that stand out in relation to women's increasing imprisonment, and a number of measures that can reduce their rate of incarceration, when it does not serve the purposes of justice or social reintegration. By highlighting and drawing attention to some key issues, this chapter aims to generate further research and the development of policies and strategies to reduce the female prison population in different countries and regions worldwide. In this context, readers may also wish to consult the UNODC Handbook of Basic Principles and Promising Practices on Alternatives to Imprisonment, the UNODC Handbook on Restorative Justice Programmes and the UNODC Handbook on Strategies to Reduce Overcrowding in Prisons, for further practical guidance. Recognizing the shortage of information on the background and characteristics of women offenders in many countries, chapter 4 addresses the need for research, planning, evaluation, public awareness-raising and training. This area is considered essential to improve the knowledge base about women offenders, to develop strategies and policies to best meet the needs of women offenders and their children, and to The United Nations General Assembly resolution on human rights in the administration of justice, adopted on 22 December 2003 called for increased attention to be devoted to the issue of women in prison, including the children of women in prison, with a view to identifying the key problems and ways in which they can be addressed. The United Nations General Assembly resolution 61/143 on the intensification of efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women, adopted on 19 December 2006, stressed that 'violence against women' means any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including ... arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life", and urged States, among others, "[t]o review and, where appropriate, revise, amend or abolish all laws, regulations, policies, practices and customs that discriminate against women or have a discriminatory impact on women, and ensure that provisions of multiple legal systems, where they exist, comply with international human rights obligations, commitments and principles, including the principle of non-discrimination"; "[t]o take positive measures to address structural causes of violence against women and to strengthen prevention efforts that address discriminatory practices and social norms, including with regard to women who need special attention ... such as ... women in institutions or in detention...", among others; and to provide training and capacity-building on gender equality and women's rights for law enforcement personnel and the judiciary, among others. This Handbook aims to assist legislators, policymakers, prison managers, staff and non-governmental organizations to implement the provisions of the Bangkok Rules as well as the resolutions and recommendations of the United Nations to address the gender-specific needs of women prisoners. It also aims to increase the awareness about the profile of female offenders and to suggest ways in which to reduce their unnecessary imprisonment by rationalizing legislation and criminal justice policies, and by providing a wide range of alternatives to prison at all stages of the criminal justice process. Details: New York: UNODC, 2014. 162p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 1, 2015 at: http://www.unodc.org/documents/justice-and-prison-reform/women_and_imprisonment_-_2nd_edition.pdf Year: 2014 Country: International URL: http://www.unodc.org/documents/justice-and-prison-reform/women_and_imprisonment_-_2nd_edition.pdf Shelf Number: 135445 Keywords: Correctional AdministrationFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersGender-Specific ResponsesPrison Administration |
Author: Denman, Kristine Title: Prison Program Utilization and Recidivism among Female Inmates in New Mexico Summary: Successful reintegration into the community after prison is of great import for both offenders and the public as nearly all prisoners will eventually return to the community. Current estimates indicate that the number of individuals incarcerated nationally in 2013 was 1,574,700, up slightly from 2012 (Glaze and Kaeble, 2014). While females consistently comprised approximately 7% of the total number of individuals incarcerated in state facilities nationally between 2000 and 2013, the rate at which the population of females in state custody grew exceeded that of males (21% between 2000 and 2010 versus 15% of males during the same time period) (ibid). Unfortunately, the majority of former prisoners recidivate. Among a national sample of prisoners released in 2005, over two-thirds were re-arrested within three years of release and nearly 77% were re-arrested within five years; recidivism was highest for property offenders (Durose, Cooper, and Snyder, 2014). While females were re-arrested at lower rates than males, 68% of females were re-arrested five years post-release (ibid). New Mexico has consistently experienced an increase in its female prison population over the past several years. In 2011, the female prison population exceeded the prison capacity, forcing the women to temporarily use a segregated pod at the nearby men's prison. Since fiscal year 2010, the women's prison population jumped by nearly 14% (NMSC, 2014). In response, the New Mexico Women's Correctional Facility (NMWCF) increased its bed capacity to 744 to accommodate the additional inmates. This is not the first time, though, that New Mexico experienced such increases in its female population. Indeed, in response to a burgeoning population, in 2003 the NMCD initiated a gender-responsive model aimed at promoting successful female reentry through appropriate programming (Carr, 2007). Prison programming is important for inmates. Many enter prison with deficiencies in their education, job histories, and in other aspects of their personal lives. Indeed, appropriate in-prison programming can help prisoners successfully reintegrate into society. Details: Albuquerque, NM: New Mexico Statistical Analysis Center, 2015. 82p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 23, 2015 at: http://isr.unm.edu/reports/2015/prison-program-utilization-and-recidivism-among-female-inmates-in-new-mexico.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://isr.unm.edu/reports/2015/prison-program-utilization-and-recidivism-among-female-inmates-in-new-mexico.pdf Shelf Number: 135768 Keywords: Correctional ProgramsFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersGender-Specific ProgramsPrisoner ReentryRecidivism |
Author: Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission Title: Unfinished business: Koori women and the justice system Summary: It has been 20 years since the report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and, sadly, in that time the proportion of Australian prisoners that are Indigenous has almost doubled. In Victoria, the over-representation of Koori people in prison, women in particular, has also increased dramatically in the last few years. Research shows once they have had contact with justice system, they are very likely to reoffend and return to prison. Around 80 per cent of the Koori women in prison are mothers, so their imprisonment not only removes them from the community - it removes their children from them. This increases the likelihood of their children entering out-of-homecare, which is in turn one of the biggest risk factors for them one day coming in contact with the justice system themselves. The longer term effects of this are profound, on the women, their families and their children. In the shorter term they are compounded by the lack of pre-prison diversionary options and support postrelease and in the inability to access employment or education or find safe and affordable housing for themselves and their children. Without these things the risk of re-offending is significantly higher. Details: Carlton, Victoria: Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, 2013. 126p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 26, 2015 at: https://interactivepdf.uniflip.com/2/87691/311342/pub/document.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Australia URL: https://interactivepdf.uniflip.com/2/87691/311342/pub/document.pdf Shelf Number: 129679 Keywords: AboriginalsChildren of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFemale InmatesFemale OffendersIndigenous PeoplesWomen Prisoners |
Author: Canada. Office of the Correctional Investigator Title: Risky Business: An Investigation of the Treatment and Management of Chronic Self-Injury Among Federally Sentenced Women Final Report Summary: Over the last five years the number of self-injury incidents in federal correctional facilities has more than tripled. In 2012-13, there were 901 incidents of recorded prison self-injury, involving 264 offenders. A relatively small number of federally sentenced women offenders (37 of 264 total) disproportionately accounted for almost 36% of all reported self-injury incidents. Aboriginal offenders were involved in more than 35% of all self-harming incidents. Aboriginal women accounted for nearly 45% of all self-injury incidents involving the federally sentenced women offender population. Of the 264 federal offenders who self-injured in 2012-13, seventeen individuals engaged in chronic (or repetitive) self-injurious behaviour (i.e., 10 or more incidents). These 17 individuals accounted for 40% of all recorded incidents. Nine were of Aboriginal descent. Nine were women (6 of whom were Aboriginal offenders). In a series of Annual Reports, the Office has repeatedly raised concerns regarding the capacity of the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) to appropriately manage chronic self-injury in federal penitentiaries: - over-reliance on use of force and control measures, such as physical restraints, and restrictions on movement and association to manage self-injurious offenders; - non-compliance with voluntary and informed consent to treatment protocols; - limited access to services for federally sentenced women offenders with complex mental health needs; - inadequate physical infrastructure, staffing complements, resources and capacity to meet complex mental health needs; and - inappropriate monitoring and inadequate oversight in the use of physical restraints. There is little doubt that management of self-injurious offenders is complex and demanding work. The Office continues to believe that a handful of the most prolific self-injurious offenders simply do not belong in a federal penitentiary. These offenders should be transferred to external psychiatric facilities that are better equipped to accommodate and care for acute and complex mental health needs underlying their self-injurious behaviours. The death in October 2007 of 19-year-old Ashley Smith, a young woman with an extensive history of self-injury who died as a result self-asphyxiation in the presence of CSC staff, underscored the importance of developing effective, evidence-based management and treatment strategies for complex self-injury cases. The Office's investigation into Ms. Smith's death revealed a number of individual and systemic failures that contributed to her tragic death. During 11.5 months of federal incarceration, Ashley's self-injurious behaviours were routinely met with control and security-focused interventions, which included the near-perpetual use of segregation, involuntary treatment (forced medical injections), numerous inter-regional transfers and over 150 documented use of force interventions. CSC's management of Ashley's behaviour served to intensify the frequency and severity of her self-injury. This investigation provides an opportunity to review CSC's capacity to balance the operational and treatment requirements of high-need, mentally ill federally sentenced women who engage in chronic self-injurious behaviour. Six years after Ashley Smith's preventable death, it serves to document how CSC responds to the mental health needs of these women and assesses the use and impact of disciplinary measures and security controls in the management and prevention of prison self-injury. Details: Ottawa: Office of the Correctional Investigator, 2013. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 4, 2015 at: http://www.oci-bec.gc.ca/cnt/rpt/pdf/oth-aut/oth-aut20130930-eng.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Canada URL: http://www.oci-bec.gc.ca/cnt/rpt/pdf/oth-aut/oth-aut20130930-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 135882 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale PrisonersGender Specific ResponsesMentally Ill InmatesPrisonsSelf-Injury |
Author: Rubenfeld, Sara Title: Assessment of the Women's Violence Prevention Program Summary: Acknowledging a need for programming that would target the needs of repeatedly violent women offenders, the CSC developed WVPP. The goal of WVPP was to help women develop lifestyles that would be incompatible with violence and would therefore reduce their risk to re-offend violently. The current study is an assessment of the pilot phase of the WVPP. Results show that the Women's Violence Prevention Program (WVPP) was successfully implemented and that participants benefited in a number of areas. However, institutional adjustment did not appear to improve after program participation. Release outcomes were also examined; however, low-base rates of reoffending and limited follow-up precluded our ability to draw conclusive findings regarding the impact of WVPP on release outcomes at this time. In fiscal year 2010-2011, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) began implementing a new continuum of correctional programming for women. Given this new direction in program offerings, WVPP is no longer offered to women as it has been replaced by the High Intensity streams of the Women Offender Correctional Program (WOCP) and Aboriginal Women Offender Correctional Program (AWOCP). However, many of the skills, program material, and framework in the High Intensity Program are based upon and are similar to the WVPP; therefore, results continue to be relevant. Despite the similarities, the High Intensity Program is lengthier and of greater intensity, which may be better suited to the needs of violent women offenders than the WVPP. What we found Results of the pre- and post-program assessment battery and participant feedback reflected positively on the program. These results revealed significant differences in women's scores before and after completing WVPP. Specifically, upon completing the program, there was a decrease in women's expression of anger, hostility, and aggression; an increase in problem-solving and decision-making ability; and a decrease in criminal values and attitudes. Participants' feedback reflected positively on aspects relating to the program content, delivery, and program facilitators. Less favourable results emerged concerning women's involvement in minor and major institutional misconduct before and after programming. There were increases seen in the rate of minor institutional misconducts from six months before the program to six months after completing the program. The less favourable results in this area may be attributed to issues of offenders' responsivity (i.e. motivation) or program intensity (violent behavior may be best targeted through high intensity programs). Similarly, the program did not appear to impact release outcomes, although this could be attributable to the length of follow-up and low overall rates of reoffending rather than program efficacy. Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada, 2014. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report No. R-330: Accessed August 10, 2015 at: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/005/008/092/005008-0330-eng.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Canada URL: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/005/008/092/005008-0330-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 136380 Keywords: Correctional ProgramsFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersPrisoner MisconductViolence PreventionViolent Offenders |
Author: Beaudette, Janelle Title: Aboriginal Women: Profile and Changing Population Summary: Examinations over a ten-year period demonstrate that Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women differ on many indicators of correctional outcomes and that First Nations and Metis women also exhibit differences between groups. These patterns are being used as a starting point for a broader examination of First Nations and Metis women's social histories and correctional experiences. Findings from this study can assist the Correctional Service of Canada's (CSC) policy and practices specific to Aboriginal women. That said, the patterns revealed in this study also reflect women's lives prior to incarceration. As such, a comprehensive approach involving both government and community stakeholders would likely be most effective in contributing to closing the gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women that are present at admission. What we found Overall, Aboriginal women's profiles were more criminogenic, meaning they presented with more factors related to crime, than non-Aboriginal women's profiles, with relatively few significant changes over time. Differences between First Nations and Metis women were less consistent, although First Nations women tended to have more criminogenic backgrounds. Aboriginal women tended to be younger and to have lower levels of education at admission than their non-Aboriginal counterparts. Over the study period, First Nations women were more likely than Metis or non-Aboriginal women to be serving an indeterminate sentence and to be convicted of a violent offence. The levels of risk and need of First Nations and Metis women were similar; the static risk and criminogenic need of these two groups were assessed as higher than that of their non-Aboriginal counterparts. Both First Nations and Metis women were found to present particularly high levels of criminogenic need relating to substance abuse, employment, and the personal/emotional domain. When considering release, Aboriginal women's rates of discretionary release (that is, day or full parole) were lower than those of non-Aboriginal women. While Metis women's rates of discretionary release were similar to those of non-Aboriginal women in 2003-05, these rates decreased to join those of First Nations women by the end of the study period. Why we did this study Aboriginal offenders are over-represented in the Canadian federal correctional system, with Aboriginal women in particular representing the fastest growing group of offenders. The purpose of the study was to support future policy initiatives and decision-making by contributing a more complete understanding of Aboriginal women offenders' characteristics, as well as changing patterns over time. The findings will guide a larger body of research being conducted on Aboriginal women under federal jurisdiction. Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada, 2014. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report No. R-341: Accessed August 10, 2015 at: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/research/005008-r341-eng.shtml Year: 2014 Country: Canada URL: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/research/005008-r341-eng.shtml Shelf Number: 136382 Keywords: AboriginalsFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale Prisoners |
Author: Great Britain. Ministry of Justice Title: Female Offenders and Child Dependents Summary: Previous estimates of the proportion of female offenders who have child dependents at the time of their disposal have been based on small-sample survey data rather than robust administrative information. The availability of linked data from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Ministry of Justice has, for the first time, enabled analysis of data on Child Benefit take-up and sentencing for criminal offences, providing a better estimate of the proportion of female offenders with child dependents. This ad-hoc management information bulletin presents the analysis on the percentage of female offenders with child dependents, and the average number of child dependents in their care at the time of their disposal. The analysis is based on linked data from the police national computer (PNC) and DWP benefits data. It is an extension of the work presented in Experimental statistics from the 2013 MoJ /DWP /HMRC data share: Linking data on offenders with benefit, employment and income data, published on 30 January 2014. Table 1 provides an estimate of the percentage of female offenders with one or more child dependents and the number of child dependents in their care. A child dependent is defined as a child under 18, living in the care of an adult. The linked data was used to identify female offenders who made a child benefit claim at the time of their disposal (caution or conviction) in 2012. This information was used to provide a minimum and maximum estimate for the percentage of offenders with child dependents in their care. The real value is predicted to fall somewhere within this range. The child benefit data also provided information on the number of child dependents associated with each claim (see annex for further details of the methods used). Details: London: Ministry of Justice, 2015. 5p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 8, 2015 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/465916/female-offenders-child-dependents-statistics.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/465916/female-offenders-child-dependents-statistics.pdf Shelf Number: 136969 Keywords: Children of Prisoners Families of Inmates Female InmatesFemale Offenders |
Author: Robinson, Gill Title: 'From Vision to Reality -- Transforming Scotland's Care of Women in Custody' Summary: The Symposium was held in Edinburgh on 27-29 May 2015. It brought together 58 academics and expert practitioners from across the UK, Europe and Canada together with stakeholders from Scotland (see Appendix A). The purpose of the symposium was: to engage in professional debate based upon international research and best practice to address identified key issues and so inform the emerging Scottish Government proposals for the future custodial estate for women. Its task was: to produce evidence and advice on practice to inform future thinking on the development and implementation of a Scottish Approach to the custody of women. 1.2 Background and context The Cabinet Secretary for Justice had announced in January 2015 that "the current plans for a prison for women in Inverclyde should not go ahead. It does not fit with my vision of how a modern and progressive country should be addressing female offending. We need to be bolder and take a more radical and ambitious approach in Scotland". At the time of the symposium, therefore, the Scottish Government and Scottish Prison Service were engaged in consultation and rethinking their approach to the custody of women. The recent history relating to the custody of women in Scotland was set out in the pre-symposium pack which can be found at www.sps.gov.uk/corporate/information/women-in-custody.aspx. The pack also contains detailed statistics about the population and characteristics of women in custody in Scotland (such as offences, sentence length, age, health, drug and alcohol use and home area). In summary, at the time of the symposium, there were 400 women in custody in Scotland in four prisons, with 100 of the women being on remand. At the time there was a proposition that the future women's custodial estate would include a small national facility for women who pose a high risk to themselves or to the community, a separate facility for young women, and a range of smaller, regional and local facilities which could include community-based residential facilities. Subsequently, on 22 June 2015, the Cabinet Secretary announced that "a new small national prison with 80 places would be created, alongside five smaller community-based custodial units each accommodating up to 20 women across the country". "The smaller community-based custodial units will provide accommodation as women serve out their sentence, with access to intensive support to help overcome issues such as alcohol, drugs, mental health and domestic abuse trauma which evidence shows can often be a driver of offending behaviour. The units will be located in areas close to the communities of female offenders so that family contact can be maintained. "There will also be more use of community-based alternatives to short-term prison sentences, including restricting liberty through the increased use of electronic monitoring, combined with support in the community, and more funding will be made available for community-based services which provide robust and effective alternatives to custody." 1.3 Symposium programme, themes and processes The programme is provided as Appendix B. On day 1, participants were offered the opportunity to visit HM Prison & Young Offenders' Institution (HMP&YOI) Cornton Vale to meet prisoners and staff and learn about current facilities, practice and support for women in custody there. The activities on days 2 and 3 involved plenary and group presentations and discussions on the following themes: - New approaches to custody for women: learning from progressive policies and practices - Services working together to support women before, during and after custody - Assessment to support decisions about a woman's needs and where she should be placed - Young women (16-21) and custody - Family and social ties - Best practice in working with women in custody - Implementing a vision for progressive change, and sustaining it The symposium used a deliberative approach, seeking to understand different social, legal and policy contexts and probing practice and policy across different jurisdictions. Keynote speakers addressed the first and last of these themes. The other five themes were considered in workshop groups. Each group heard and discussed video clips from women currently in custody and presentations from academics and practitioners. The group then identified key evidence, issues and advice which they presented to the group as a whole, followed by plenary discussions to explore issues and add further examples of practice or evidence. Details: Edinburgh: Scottish Prison Service, 2015. 92p. Source: Internet Resource: Women's Symposium Report: Accessed October 18, 2015 at: http://www.sps.gov.uk/Corporate/Publications/Publication-3592.aspx Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.sps.gov.uk/Corporate/Publications/Publication-3592.aspx Shelf Number: 137002 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale OffendersFemale Prisoners |
Author: Hollist, Dusten R. Title: Medicine Wheel and Anger Management Treatment in Montana Women's Prison: An Analysis of the Impact of Treatment on Inmate Misconduct and Recidivism Summary: The purpose of this research is to examine the effectiveness of two therapeutic treatment programs currently available at the Montana Women's Prison (MWP): Medicine Wheel (MW), a Native American based chemical dependency program, and Anger Management (AM) treatment. Program effectiveness is measured using the rate of inmate misconduct while in MWP and the three-year recidivism rate of released inmates. The study was designed to allow for the comparison of misconduct rates before and after treatment and the comparison of after-treatment misconduct rates of those completing treatment and those not completing treatment. The study design also allows for the comparison of the recidivism rates of those who did or did not complete treatment. Major findings: Medicine Wheel (MW) - The vast majority of inmates (94.1%) had a prior arrest. More than half (66.7%) had served time in jail or prison as a result of a prior arrest. - Among those completing MW treatment, the percentage of inmates with conduct violations decreased after treatment. - Inmates who completed MW treatment had lower rates of recidivism than those in the comparable non-treatment group. - Native American inmates seem to benefit more from MW treatment. - Among those in the MW sample, younger inmates are more likely to return to prison. Anger Management (AM) - All of the 20 inmates had a prior arrest. Most (70.0%) had served time in jail as a result of a prior arrest - The rate of misconduct for inmates who completed AM treatment is significantly lower after treatment. - Of those inmates completing AM treatment, about three times as many showed a reduction in their misconduct rate rather than an increase after treatment. - Inmates who complete AM treatment have lower after-treatment rates of misconduct compared to inmates who do not receive treatment. - Inmates who completed AM treatment had lower rates of recidivism than those in the comparable non-treatment group. Details: Missoula, University of Montana-Missoula, 2004. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 6, 2015 at: https://cor.mt.gov/Portals/104/Resources/Reports/MWP_AITPIMR.pdf Year: 2004 Country: United States URL: https://cor.mt.gov/Portals/104/Resources/Reports/MWP_AITPIMR.pdf Shelf Number: 137206 Keywords: Anger ManagementBehavior ModificationFemale InmatesFemale PrisonersPrisoner MisconductTreatment Programs |
Author: Boiteux, Luciana Title: The Incarceration of Women for Drug Offenses Summary: This brief demonstrates the impact of public policies on the incarceration of women in the Americas - the majority of whom are in prison for the crimes of small - scale dealing or transporting drugs. The consequences of the use of prisons can be seen not only in terms of how these women's lives are affected, but also in the impact on their families, children and dependents, who are left without social or economic protections. Details: Washington,DC: Research Consortium on Drugs and the Law (CEDD), 2015. 10p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 6, 2015 at: http://www.drogasyderecho.org/publicaciones/pub-priv/luciana_i.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Latin America URL: http://www.drogasyderecho.org/publicaciones/pub-priv/luciana_i.pdf Shelf Number: 137213 Keywords: Drug OffendersDrug PolicyFemale InmatesFemale Prisoners |
Author: Liddell Thomson Consultancy Title: The Future of the Female Custodial Estate Summary: In January 2015, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice announced that the proposed new women's prison at HMP Inverclyde would not proceed: "I've decided that the current plans for a prison for women in Inverclyde should not go ahead. It does not fit with my vision of how a modern and progressive country should be addressing female offendin. I believe we should be investing in smaller regional and community-based custodial facilities across the country, rather than a large new prison for women." Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Scottish Government Following this announcement, the Scottish Government and Scottish Prison Service developed an early proposition for the future of the female custodial estate which reflected the Cabinet Secretary's comments and the recommendations of The Commission on Women Offenders chaired by The Right Hon Dame Elish Angiolini DBE QC. This proposition includes: A national unit Regional units for the West, East and North Community-based Residential Units Young women accommodated separately from the adult population In March 2015, the Scottish Government asked each of the eight Community Justice Authorities to host a regional consultation workshop in their local area. While CJAs were asked to ensure that key stakeholders from across a number of sectors were invited to attend, the events were also open to anyone interested in discussing the early detail of the proposed model for the future of the female custodial estate. These well-attended events were held in the following locations: Glasgow, Greenock, Inverness, Dundee, Airdrie, Dalkeith, Dunfermline, and Kilmarnock. Separate sessions were held with women in custody and with Scottish Prison Service staff. The views of the families and friends of women in custody were sought by telephone or face-to-face conversations conducted by Families Outside and the Shine Women's Mentoring Service. This was managed separately from the wider consultation events. More than 600 people across Scotland took part in these animated discussions, bringing their expertise, experience and passion for improving the lives of women in custody. Details: Edinburgh: Scottish Government, 2015. Source: Internet Resource: Consultation Report: Accessed November 24, 2015 at: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0048/00487229.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0048/00487229.pdf Shelf Number: 137320 Keywords: Community-Based CorrectionsFemale InmatesFemale Offenders |
Author: Robinson, Cathy Title: Women's Custodial Estate Review Summary: The commissioning of this review outlined the Government's vision for rebalancing the custodial system in England and Wales, closing small and expensive prisons, as capacity allows and replacing them with fit-for-purpose accommodation where the prisoners could best address their offending behaviour needs and prepare for release. During the course of the review the team considered not only where, but also how women are held, so that the report includes a focus on regimes provided in women's prisons. Women represent only five percent of the prison population and are held in a small number of prisons compared with men. It is therefore necessary to ensure that their small numbers do not result in less favourable treatment, through careful consideration of their particular needs. We also need to ensure that the estate is effective, affordable and sustainable. The review recommends the establishment of strategic prison hubs, located as far as possible close to major centres of population. These hubs should be of an appropriate size to serve the courts, hold women from the surrounding region and provide a range of interventions. Moreover, they should provide an appropriate physical environment to support women's caring responsibilities through family visits, which maintain and build upon relationships with children and other family members. These hubs will enable most women to remain in their closest prison throughout their sentence and will support the Government's approach to Transforming Rehabilitation through their links to Community Rehabilitation Companies and "through the gate" support for all prisoners. They will also enable a larger number of women, subject to appropriate risk assessment, to undertake work outside of prison which can be continued after their sentence and which will further support rehabilitation and maintenance of family contact and personal responsibility. The review team has considered the recommendation of Baroness Corston for small custodial units. The team agreed with the underlying argument, that women should be held in appropriate physical conditions as close to home as possible, so that they can be supported back into their communities on release. However, women's prisons provide a wide range of services, particularly in partnership with health, to those who have significant needs when they enter prison. Women's access to this support is vitally important to their rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. Details: London(?: National Offender Management Service, 2013. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 24, 2015 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/252851/womens-custodial-estate-review.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/252851/womens-custodial-estate-review.pdf Shelf Number: 131845 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersPrison ReformPrisons |
Author: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Country Office Pakistan Title: Females Behind Bars: Situation and Needs Assessment in Female Prisons and Barracks Summary: The Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) has listed prisoners among the four most 'at risk and neglected populations' in the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The 2006 report states that "Prisons are sites for illicit drug use, unsafe injecting practices, tattooing with contaminated equipment, violence, rape and unprotected sex. Prisons are often overcrowded, have limited access to healthcare, offer poor nutrition and have high rates of airborne and blood borne diseases. Particularly women make up a very small proportion of the prison population in Pakistan and they are faced with much greater challenges than men in accessing healthcare. UNODC Pakistan, through one of its projects initiated HIV prevention services for female prisoners. The project contains significant importance as is only the project targeting female prisoners in the country. Data was collected in 09 female prisons and barracks across the country, where the project was being implemented. All females who were admitted to a female prison within the study period formed the study population. To be eligible for participation, a woman should be an inmate in one of the targeted prisons, be of 18 years of age or older, irrespective of her drug using status and risk behaviors and was willing to provide an informed consent for participation in the study. A total number of 375 subjects was calculated to be the final sample size for this study. The preliminary data available from the project suggested that a more or less 400 female prisoners existed in the prisons. Owing to the small number of female prisoners reported from these target prisons, no strict inclusion or exclusion criteria were used and all available prisoners who showed a willingness and provided consent to participate, were included in the study. Data collection was preceded by a pre-survey phase, which lasted for a couple of weeks. The supervisory staff in prisons was contacted by the field teams and were explained the objectives of the study to ensure their involvement in the study. This phase focused on answering any concerns of the prison staff and address any of their apprehensions about the study and confidentiality of data. Data collection lasted for a period of 6 weeks. The team members were lead by the project psychologist, who played a key role in data collection. Data were collected on a predesigned format which was developed through a consultative process between the project staff, the UNODC technical team and the research consultant. Data was collected in a secure room (project's counseling room) separate from the prison's main building and provided enough privacy for the interviews to be conducted smoothly without any interference. The questionnaire was of a structured format, developed to gather information on various socio-demographic, prison related information and personal characteristics of the individual herself. After the questionnaire information was collected, the interviewer answered any questions that participants had raised and registered with the project for future follow-up. After editing, all questionnaires were rechecked using a software designed in MS Access for data entry. Analysis was done using the statistical software package, SPSS version 12.0 (statistical package for social sciences). Since prisons have peculiar characteristics regarding exertion of rights, the numerous ethical issues such as voluntary participation, taking informed consent, and measures to ensure and maintain participants' confidentiality were taken into consideration during the entire length of this study. A total number of 359 interviews were conducted for this study, within the time allocated for data collection. The average age of prisoners across all prisons was reported to be 35.2 years - 12.6 (median = 32), with little variability between different prisons. The maximum proportion of prisoners interviewed were illiterate (68%) and more than half of the prisoners interviewed were married with children. Half of the women interviewed shared in the family expenses by providing some sort of financial support. 4% of the women interviewed were non Pakistanis; the maximum numbers of non-Pakistani women interviewed were from Zambia. Of the 359 women prisoners interviewed, an astounding 59% of the women were reported to be under trial. A remaining 31 (8.6%) were detained while the remaining 32.6% (117) were convicted. The maximum proportion of women was imprisoned due to crime such as murders (40%), and drug related offenses. These included using as well as possession of illegal drugs. Another issue of concern is the high number of women who were imprisoned on account of commercial sex work. Upon further inquiry 23.7% of the women stated that they had ever been imprisoned for drug related offenses, while another 15.6% informed that they had been imprisoned for commercial sex work. A fairly large proportion of women had been tobacco smokers before imprisonment and nearly half of them continued smoking even within prisons. In addition a substantial proportion of the overall female prisoner population indicated use of psychotic drugs before being imprisoned, but did not continue their drug using habit, as drugs were not available in prisons. Of the 359 women interviewed, only 22 (6.1%) reported that they had ever injected any form of drug. Further inquiry into drug injecting practices revealed that all these injections took place among the women were imprisoned. Forty five (12.5%) of the total women interviewed stated that they had faced some form of sexual harassment while in prison (not rape). Multiple sex partners were notified, with sex between various prisoners being the most common form of consensual sex seen in prisons. 52% of the women interviewed informed that they had heard of HIV and AIDS. Knowledge of sexual intercourse as a mode of transmission of the disease was prevalent among 27.3% of the women interviewed and 42% knew that HIV can be transmitted by sharp instrument/needles and syringes. 49% knew that HIV can spread through blood transfusion, while knowledge of mother to child transmission was found to be 26%. One fifth reported to have experienced an STI in the past 06 months, while 18% received proper treatment for these infections. An evaluation of the prison environment showed that unlike male prisons, overcrowding is not reported to be an issue in female prisons. The hygiene conditions in all prisons visited were far from ideal. The sanitation facilities available for prisoners varied according to various prisons or barracks. The number of wash rooms ranged from 3 to 4 prisoners per wash room to 60 prisoners per wash room in one of the larger prisons. Only one of the prisons visited had safe drinking water available for the prisoners. All prisons other than two had tap water available for 24 hours, however the water was not purified leading to various water borne diseases. While women prisoners were reported to keep their children with them in prisons, it is also worth mentioning that there were no child care facilities in any of the prison evaluated. Inadequate medical facilities were reported by female prisoners from nearly all prisons. Although doctors are available in all prisons, but the diagnostic and treatment facilities were found to be far from satisfactory. No measures to deal with the mental health issues were reported to be provided by the prison authorities. In all prisons, psychologists were made available through UNODC supported project. The psychological problems reported are depression, stress, mental illness, attention seeking behavior, sleep disorder and generalized anxiety. No recreational facilities are available except television, which was available in only 2 prisons. No indoor games or activities to keep the prisoners involved were seen in any of the prisons visited. Based upon the results of this study, a series of key principles and actions are recommended, to promote principles of public health, improve the mental state of health of the confined, and prevent the spread of HIV and other communicable diseases in prisons. These services should include the provision of basic determinants of health such as adequate nutrition, clean drinking water, sanitation facilities, provision of an adequate gender-sensitive and interdisciplinary mental healthcare and provision of drug dependence treatment options for prisoners with problematic drug use. Comprehensive education and awareness of HIV/AIDS and ways to prevent HIV transmission, with a special reference to the likely risks of transmission within prison environments should be provided to both Prisoners and prison staff. Prison systems should provide easy access to voluntary HIV testing and counseling, which should be easily accessible to all prisoners. While HIV, HCV and HBV testing is continuously done in most prisons under the project supported by UNODC, it is strongly recommended that TB testing should also be initiated in prisons. Some basic child health services including nutrition, immunization, basic health care needs can be provided by the project as part of the holistic support program. Women should be provided access to legal counseling and provision of legal aid if desired, to access lawyers and follow up their cases in courts. Every effort should be made to develop positive partnerships with the higher prison authorities and the prison staff for every initiative undertaken. Details: Islamabad : United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Country Office Pakistan, 2011. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 25, 2015 at: https://www.unodc.org/documents/pakistan//female_behind_bars_complete_final.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Pakistan URL: https://www.unodc.org/documents/pakistan//female_behind_bars_complete_final.pdf Shelf Number: 137338 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersHealth ServicesMedical CarePrisons |
Author: Carceres-Monroy, Alejandro Title: Breaking the Silence: Civil and Human Rights Violations Resulting from Medical Neglect and Abuse of Women of Color in Los Angeles County Jails Summary: Women of color with mental health conditions in LA county jails and California prisons are exceptionally vulnerable to medical neglect and abuse that violate domestic civil rights law and regional and international human rights law. This Report by Dignity and Power Now ("DPN") documents how jail and prison officials violated the rights of seven women of color, and highlights the mental health consequences of the medical neglect and abuse these women suffered. It relies on the testimonies of these women, interviews with two former CRDF psychiatric social workers, and a growing literature on the unlawful treatment of incarcerated populations with mental health conditions across the United States of America. Although this Report's focus is the Century Regional Detention Facility ("CRDF"), an all-female facility operated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department ("LASD"), it includes violations against women at the LASD's Twin Towers facility and at the California Institution for Women ("CIW"), an all-female state prison. This Report documents how LASD Deputies and other personnel-including Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health personnel working in detention facilities-systematically denied the women interviewed vital mental and physical health care services. These officials forced women suffering from mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and depression to suffer - sometimes for months - without access to necessary medication. These Deputies verbally abused these women and rarely permitted them to leave their cells. These officials forced these women to lie in their own filth for days, and denied them access to adequate reproductive hygiene products such as tampons or pads, leaving these women to bleed on themselves. Women interviewed for this Report recounted how Deputies shackled pregnant women, and punished women with mental health conditions by placing them in solitary confinement. The experiences of these interviewees also reveal how, by medically neglecting and abusing women of color, Deputies and other personnel increased these women's risk of suicide. These abuses are unacceptable by any measure. That they occur at the hands of public employees entrusted with the humane care of these women - some of whom are our communities' most mentally and physically vulnerable - is heinous. In addition to detailing these women's stories, this Report demonstrates that the medical neglect and abuse of incarcerated women of color by LASD and other public officials violates domestic civil rights law, regional human rights law, and international human rights law. The violations this Report documents make clear the human cost of the growing trend of incarceration of women, a trend that is by no means mitigated by so-called gender responsive incarceration. In 2007 some California legislators proposed the construction of more incarceration facilities for women, and used a need for gender responsiveness as a justification for this expansion. A report by Californians United for a Responsible Budget, also released that year, explained that so-called gender responsive incarceration proposals used "the grave needs of people in women's prisons to manipulate public sentiment in favor of rehabilitation and services to expand a failing system." Even today, building more facilities will not prevent the gross human rights violations incarcerated women endure in Los Angeles County, or anywhere else in the United States. Details: Los Angeles, CA: Dignity and Power Now, 2015. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 11, 2016 at: http://dignityandpowernow.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/breaking_silence_report_2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://dignityandpowernow.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/breaking_silence_report_2015.pdf Shelf Number: 137456 Keywords: African AmericansFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersJailsMedical CareMental Health ServicesMentally Ill Offenders |
Author: O'Keeffe, Caroline Title: Enhancing Care for Childbearing Women and their Babies in Prison Summary: All available research suggests that the struggles of childbearing women in prison are extremely complex. And whilst their babies represent a relatively small proportion of all children affected by maternal imprisonment, they are arguably the neediest and most vulnerable group. This report documents the findings of a collaborative research project, funded by Barrow Cadbury Trust, between Action for Prisoners' and Offenders' Families (APOF) and the Hallam Centre for Community Justice (HCCJ) at Sheffield Hallam University. The project aimed to map current knowledge and research evidence on childbearing women in prison and their babies and to transfer this learning into policy and practice. All women who are pregnant or have a child below the age of eighteen months at the point of entering custody have the opportunity to apply for a place within designated living accommodation within a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU). However, in England, there is a high rate of rejection of MBU applications, MBU places are under-utilised and frequently lie empty across the women's estate. The research identified a range of factors which mitigated against an MBU application including: - women choosing to not reveal their status as mothers to the authorities and making their own 'informal' care arrangements; - women not expecting to receive a custodial sentence at court so are unprepared for making the necessary care arrangements, including MBU application; - women being traumatised when they arrive in prison creating a difficult context in which to absorb information about their child placement options; - the trauma of arrival in prison causing a mother's breast milk to dry up thus having a detrimental impact on the bond with their baby, and making it less likely that they will seek to keep their baby with them; - mothers feeling like they are 'choosing' their baby over their older children who may be living with relatives in the community, should they apply for an MBU place; - women being inadequately informed about the provision available in MBUs and the benefits of residing in one; - some social workers working within a 'pro-separation' model which focuses on finding alternative care for children rather than exploring fully the possibility of MBU placement; - mothers viewing themselves as incapable of effective parenting and their babies as being better off without them; - women may be under pressure from family members to leave their babies in the community. Details: Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Hallam University, Hallam Centre for Community Justice, 2015. 81p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 3, 2016 at: https://www.shu.ac.uk/research/hccj/sites/hccj/files/enhancing-care-childbearing-women-babies-prison.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.shu.ac.uk/research/hccj/sites/hccj/files/enhancing-care-childbearing-women-babies-prison.pdf Shelf Number: 137756 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFemale InmatesFemale Prisoners (U.K.)Pregnant InmatesPrison Health ServicesPrison Nurseries |
Author: John Howard Association of Illinois Title: Overcrowded, Underresourced, and Ill-Conceived: Logan Correctional Center, 2013/14 Summary: Logan Correctional Center (Logan) is located in Lincoln, Illinois, about a two hour and forty-five minute drive south of Chicago and a 30-minute drive north of Springfield. Logan was repurposed in March 2013 as a multiple security level female facility, which also operates the female intake Reception and Classification center (R&C) for the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). Key Observations - In 2013, the Quinn administration closed several correctional facilities in the face of severe prison overcrowding, consolidating the majority of its female prison population in Logan, a male medium security prison, without adequate resources to do so or a viable plan to reduce the prison population. - While the Quinn administration argued repurposing Logan would reduce costs and create a more efficient and rehabilitative environment for the state's female prison population, it has exacerbated overcrowded conditions, damaged IDOC's capacity to address the needs of female inmates, and failed to generate meaningful cost savings. - Class action federal litigation has challenged the constitutional adequacy of mental health treatment within IDOC. Recent suicides at Logan expose the need to address the lack of mental health resources for the state's female prison population. - Without significant reductions in Illinois' female prisoner population, the best that IDOC's staff and administration can do with Logan is to try to sustain a precarious, ineffective, and expensive status quo. Details: Chicago: John Howard Association of Illinois, 2014. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 21, 2016 at: http://thejha.org/sites/default/files/Logan%20Correctional%20Center%20Report%202013-2014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://thejha.org/sites/default/files/Logan%20Correctional%20Center%20Report%202013-2014.pdf Shelf Number: 138341 Keywords: Correctional AdministrationFemale InmatesFemale PrisonersOvercrowded Prisons |
Author: Duwe, Grant Title: Moving On: An Outcome Evaluation of a Gender-Responsive, Cognitive-Behavioral Program for Female Offenders Summary: We used a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of Moving On, a gender-responsive, cognitive-behavioral program designed for female offenders. Between 2001 and 2013, there were two distinct periods in which Moving On was administered with, and without, fidelity among female Minnesota prisoners. To determine whether program integrity matters, we examined the performance of Moving On across these two periods. Using multiple comparison groups, we found that Moving On significantly reduced two of the four measures of recidivism when it was implemented with fidelity. The program did not have a significant impact on any of the four recidivism measures, however, when it operated without fidelity. The growth of the "what works" literature and the emphasis on evidence-based practices have helped foster the notion that correctional systems can improve public safety by reducing recidivism. Given that Moving On's success hinged on whether it was delivered with integrity, our results show that correctional practitioners can take an effective intervention and make it ineffective. Providing offenders with evidence-based interventions that lack therapeutic integrity not only promotes a false sense of efficacy, but it also squanders the limited supply of programming resources available to correctional agencies. The findings suggest that ensuring program integrity is critical to the efficient use of successful interventions that deliver on the promise of reduced recidivism. Details: St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Department of Corrections, 2015. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 22, 2016 at: http://www.doc.state.mn.us/PAGES/files/2014/3751/2704/Moving_On_Evaluation_-_July_2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.doc.state.mn.us/PAGES/files/2014/3751/2704/Moving_On_Evaluation_-_July_2015.pdf Shelf Number: 138361 Keywords: Cognitive SkillsCorrectional ProgramsEvidence-Based ProgramsFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersGender Specific ProgramsRehabilitation |
Author: Gavin, Mhairi Title: Women in Custody 2015 Summary: This Bulletin, which deals specifically with women in custody held by the Scottish Prison Service, is one of a number of thematic commentaries presenting the key findings from the 2015 Prisoner Survey. The Prisoner Survey was introduced to the Scottish Prison Service in 1990 as a mechanism to inform and support the Service's business planning process. The focus of the Survey has expanded over the years. The Survey continues to focus upon the core elements of prison life: living conditions, family contact, healthcare, relationships, atmosphere and perceived safety. This year's questionnaire also includes topics on engagement with programmes, being in care as a child, military service and accessing Prison Rules. The Survey informs and shapes change by contributing to establishment and corporate business plans. The Survey was carried out between July and August 2015 on an establishment-by-establishment basis. Prisoners' views were collected by means of a self-completion questionnaire, which was distributed and collected personally by the members of local staff. The Survey involves all prisoners and all establishments. The Fifthteenth Survey achieved an overall prisoner response rate of 55%. The reponse rate among women in custody was 66% (a total of 257 women). Of those, 19% were on remand and 81% convicted. Respondents' remand and custodial sentence history is outlined in Table 1. This shows that women in custody were most likely to report having been on remand between 1 and 5 times (41%), followed by having 'never' previously been on remand (40%). One in ten women in custody (11%) had been on remand over ten times and a small minority (8%) reported being on remand 6-10 ten times. Half of those reporting (51%) had 'never' previously served a prison sentence. One third (32%) had served between 1 and 5 sentences and one in ten (10%) female respondents had served over 10 sentences. Details: Edinburgh: Scottish Prison Service, 2016. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 23, 2016 at: http://www.sps.gov.uk/Corporate/Publications/Publication-3905.aspx Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.sps.gov.uk/Corporate/Publications/Publication-3905.aspx Shelf Number: 138391 Keywords: Correctional InstitutionsFemale InmatesFemale Prisoners |
Author: Pollack, Shoshana Title: Locked In, Locked Out: Imprisoning Women in the Shrinking and Punitive Welfare State Summary: Women represent a small proportion of people in jails and prisons in Canada. In 2003/04, 9% of prisoners in provincial and territorial jails were women and 6% of federal prisoners were women (Statistics Canada, 2006). However, despite decreasing crime rates, the rate of women federally incarcerated in Canada is steadily increasing. In 2003 there were 822 federally sentenced women, 374 (45%) of whom were in prison and 448 (55%) were out on bail or under community supervision. By 2006-07, there were 476 women in federal prisons. Between 1997 and 2006, the population of women in federal prisons jumped 22% (Correctional Service of Canada, 2006). Similar trends are seen in other industrialized countries. In the US, for example, Chesney-Lind (2002) states that there is a "women's imprisonment boom." Both Australia and Great Britain are also experiencing an increase in numbers of women being imprisoned (Balfour & Comack, 2006). Feminist activists and researchers have expressed great concern about this growing worldwide trend and many have pointed to neo-liberal policy changes as contributing to the dramatic increase in the imprisonment of women. Drastic cuts to social assistance, the creation of a precarious low-wage job market, reduction in publicly funded daycare, and cuts to social services, addictions treatment and mental health services have eroded the social safety net. It is the already disadvantaged members of our communities who are most hard hit by neo-liberal socio-economic policies. The dismantling of social services and welfare state provisions have resulted "in the increased criminalization of the most marginalized and vulnerable members of our communities" (Neve and Pate, 2005: 27). An overwhelming majority of imprisoned women are convicted of property offences whereas 3% are convicted of violent offences (Statistics Canada, 2006). The most common charge for women charged with property crimes is theft under $5000 or fraud. Many women have committed income-generating offences such as fraud, shoplifting, prostitution and robbery to support addictions (AGC, 2003). In Canada, the fastest growing group of incarcerated women is Aboriginal. The rate of imprisoned Aboriginal women jumped 72.5% between 1996 and 2004 (Office of the Correctional Investigator, 2006). Although Aboriginal people comprise 3% of the Canadian population, 19% of federal prisoners are Aboriginal. For women this number is even higher: 32% of federal female prisoners are Aboriginal. Research has illustrated that well over the majority of imprisoned women in North America have histories of childhood abuse, have experienced violence in their intimate relationships with men, often live in poverty, endure systemic racialized violence and have addictions (Gilfus, 1992; Comack, 1996; Richie, 1996; Owen, 1998; Task Force on Federally Sentenced Women, 1990). This research, often referred to as the 'pathways to crime' literature, illustrates that attempts to cope with victimization experiences such as childhood abuse and violence against women, propel many women into situations that put them at risk of being criminalized. Details: Toronto: Wilfrid Laurier University, 2008. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 22, 2016 at: http://www.efryottawa.com/documents/LockedinLockedout-SPollockresearchreport.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Canada URL: http://www.efryottawa.com/documents/LockedinLockedout-SPollockresearchreport.pdf Shelf Number: 138722 Keywords: AboriginalsFederal PrisonersFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale Prisoners |
Author: Great Britain. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Title: Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP & YOI Bronzefield Summary: HMP Bronzefield is a complex closed women's local prison run by Sodexo Justice Services. It holds up to 527 women, with all categories represented - those remanded by the courts, those serving short sentences and a number serving life. Ages range from 18 to over 70. It is also one of two prisons in the female estate that holds restricted status women, or women who are deemed to require special management due to the level of risk they present, or the notoriety of their offences. The catchment area of the prison is huge and the mix of women held continues to present an almost unique blend of complexity and vulnerability. Around a third of women reported having a disability and 90% said they arrived with problems, including 44% who felt depressed or suicidal. For over half it was their first time in prison and a similar number had children under the age of 18. Over 40% indicated they had a problem with drugs and 66% said they had emotional wellbeing or mental health problems. The proportion of women reporting these types of problems was significantly higher than at our last inspection. It was encouraging to see, therefore, that despite this increased complexity of the challenge faced, the prison had continued the improvement we reported at the last inspection in April 2013. Arrangements to support women on arrival and during their early days at the prison were good, and for those with substance misuse problems, some of the best we have seen. Processes to keep women safe and to deal with the high levels of self-harm and vulnerability were well developed. There was little violence and few serious incidents, but despite this, many women still complained that they had felt unsafe at some time while at the prison and that they had been victimised by both other prisoners and staff. The reasons for this were not clear but, the complex mix of women held at Bronzefield, a recent tragic self-inflicted death, the first such death at the prison, allied to a zero tolerance approach being adopted to tackle poor behaviour when it occurred, were likely to be contributory factors to these perceptions. At the last inspection we were critical of some aspects of the work with the small number of women who had a combination of very challenging and sometimes dangerous behaviour and vulnerabilities, including personality disorder and mental health conditions. Work in this area had improved significantly and while we were still concerned about two women who had been managed in the separation and care unit (SCU) for over two years, the care they were receiving and specialist input to manage their progression and reintegration was good, and would be developed further with soon to be piloted interventions addressing personality disorder. Safeguarding arrangements in general were well developed and fully embedded across the prison. Security was proportionate, including for those women who were restricted status. Work in the SCU had developed since the last inspection and was now much more progressive. Use of force was not excessive, although some aspects of oversight needed attention. Substance misuse support was very good. The general environment was very good and care was taken to keep the prison decent. Staff-prisoner relationships were very good and the custody support officer scheme worked well, including effectively supporting resettlement work. Again, despite some negativity in our surveys, work to support the diverse range of women held, including the quarter who were from black and minority ethnic communities, and the 24% who were foreign nationals, was good. The mother and baby unit provided excellent care and support to those using the facility, and maternity care was very good. Health services were good overall, including for the high number of women with mental health problems. As at the last inspection the weakest outcomes were in the provision of purposeful activity. Time out of cell was reasonable although we found some women locked up during the day who could have been more purposefully occupied. The range of vocational training had improved and there were sufficient activity places for all those held. However, the quality of teaching and learning remained too variable and outcomes in the key area of functional skills needed to be better. Managers had a plan to address these deficiencies but this had not yet come to fruition. In contrast, resettlement work had improved significantly. Excellent support was now provided to women in maintaining contact with their family and friends, and also for those who had been abused, trafficked or who were sex workers. The prison had started to use release on temporary licence to support reintegration work, including for employment and family contact and relationship reasons. Offender management work had been re-organised since the last inspection and was now better than we usually see with evidence of regular and meaningful contact between women and specialist staff. Public protection arrangements were robust. The new community rehabilitation companies (CRCs) were still bedding in and there was confusion about how they worked alongside Sodexo resettlement staff. Nevertheless, support in the reducing reoffending pathways was generally strong although factors outside the control of the prison were resulting in too many women being released without settled accommodation. HMP Bronzefield was a very good and improved prison. Outcomes for the highly complex population were at least reasonably good or better in all our healthy prison tests, with the quality of respect and work to resettle prisoners particularly strong. It is a credit to the very capable leadership within the prison, and the committed and motivated staff group that the challenges they face continue to be met in such a positive and caring way. Details: London: Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons, 2015. 119p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 26, 2016 at: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2016/04/Bronzefield-web2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2016/04/Bronzefield-web2015.pdf Shelf Number: 138822 Keywords: Correctional ProgramsFemale InmatesFemale OffendersPrisoner ReentryWomen Prisoners |
Author: Paddick, Sarah Title: Women and Children in Prisons: Accommodation Study Summary: In Australia it is current government policy in all States to allow certain female prisoners to keep their children with them in prison during their sentences. The maximum age of the children and the specific profile of the mother varies from state to state but the intent and philosophy is the same - that in certain situations it is the 'best' option for both mother and child. Whether it is in the best interests of the child is generally determined by a recognised independent children's authority, through an assessment process. This report does not discuss or question this position in detail. There is a brief summary of some supporting arguments and studies that do so, and this will hopefully direct the reader to further areas of research and discussion. Instead I examine how mothers and children are accommodated within a correctional environment both in Australia and in other countries around the world, with a particular focus on the architecture of each facility I visited during the duration of my scholarship. I also highlight the ways in which relationships between mothers and children can be maintained if cohabitation within the correctional facility is not possible i.e. in the instance of older children, or where a mother's or child's particular circumstances do not allow it to occur. Details: Adelaide: Government of South Australia, 2011. 175p. Source: Internet Resource: Catherine Helen Spence Memorial scholarship 2010/11: Accessed May 5, 2016 at: https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/7422/MothersAndBabiesInPrisonAccommodationStudy2010-2011WebVersion.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Australia URL: https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/7422/MothersAndBabiesInPrisonAccommodationStudy2010-2011WebVersion.pdf Shelf Number: 138932 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFemale InmatesFemale Prisoners |
Author: Robins, Libby Title: Mother and Baby Prison Units: An Investigative Study Summary: During the period July through to early September 2011, as director of Family Help Trust (FHT) Christchurch and in my capacity as a Winston Churchill Fellowship recipient, I visited six female prisons in the United States of America and four in the United Kingdom. Time spent in each facility varied from two hours in Bedford Hills, New York, through to three days in Coffee Creek, Portland Oregon. In addition, I met with three researchers, (New York, Maryland and Nebraska) and four not for profit organisations (three in New York and one in Stirling, Scotland). I interviewed 25 female offenders, a mixture of currently incarcerated and previously incarcerated, and over 20 staff members between all the prison facilities. The purpose of this investigative research was to bring back information that would benefit a range of agencies including: New Zealand government policy makers, members of parliament, the New Zealand Department of Corrections, the New Zealand Women's Prison Service, researchers, Family Help Trust (FHT), Child Youth and Family (CYF), the Families Commission, the Commission for Children and all New Zealand community agencies involved with the offending population. In 2008 new legislation was passed that allowed infants to remain in two of the three New Zealand prison nurseries until they were two years old (Auckland and Christchurch). The remaining prison (Wellington) was not included in this legislation and is only able to accommodate infants until they are nine months old. Two of the self-care houses at Christchurch Women's Prison (CWP) were 'toddler proofed' and two mother and baby houses were built at Auckland's new women's facility in Wiri in 2011. These units were officially opened by the then Minister of Corrections, Hon Judith Collins, in September 2011. Key points and findings that have emerged from this investigative research are: - New Zealand has been progressive in the style of accommodation provided to mothers and their infants. This models a self-contained motel unit or a small flat or house in the community. - There was only one prison (Cornton Vale's independent living units), that allowed mothers to accompany their infants on outings outside the prison gates. In contrast, New Zealand women's prisons have made significant efforts to normalise the children's experiences as much as possible and both infants and their mothers visit community facilities beyond the wire The evidence available concerning the reductions in reoffending for mothers having benefitted from prison nurseries, when compared to mothers from the general prison population who were not able to keep their infants with them, is compelling, particularly in the United States. Nebraska Women's Facility and Bedford Hills, New York are the two prisons that stood out for their efforts to provide research evidence. It is imperative that New Zealand keeps good data on all mothers who reside and are then released from our mother and baby prison units. This data needs to include community outcomes, albeit this could be considered outside the responsibility of the Department of Corrections for those inmate mothers who are released without parole conditions. New Zealand, because of its size, is in a unique position to research the post-release outcomes for these mothers, and provide comparative research that could include a control group. Using randomisation would, in my opinion, be inappropriate, unless it was mothers who had not been able to reside in nurseries due to lack of capacity. It is important that the issue of community outcomes beyond the reach of Corrections' jurisdiction is addressed to ensure that such information is available for research purposes. In the United States there was no scope to cross-match data interstate and in the United Kingdom there was no research was currently being undertaken on this issue. The only figures I was able to obtain were prison by prison, and data collection methods varied hugely. For mothers without any family support, the concept of trained voluntary doulas (birth companions) is worth considering in New Zealand. Doulas were used comprehensively in both the United States and the United Kingdom and were highly valued by inmate mothers. International mother and baby prison nursery facilities I visited have the throughput that allows them to provide extensive childcare facilities staffed by professional early childhood educators while mothers attend programmes or work within the prison. While New Zealands efforts to provide similar is clearly limited by a much smaller number of pregnant inmates, given the gradual rise in female incarceration in New Zealand, together with current harder line sentencing laws, some future proofing needs to be considered. Improving New Zealand prison visiting areas and making them more child friendly such as I found in Bedford Hills and Cornton Vale, would have huge benefits for improving inmate relationships with their children. While support for breastfeeding mothers in the prisons I visited was considered important, mothers being expected to return to their work duties as early as six weeks post-birth did seem out of line with breastfeeding recommendations and maternity protection. Exclusive breastfeeding is generally recommended for six months after birth, and then a continuation of breastfeeding for up to two years or longer if desired, along with suitable complimentary foods. Support for breastfeeding is essential as breastfeeding 'success' for this vulnerable population makes a significant positive contribution to maternal and infant well-being and health, both short and long-term, and to maternal bonding and secure infant attachment. While attempts to limit smoking around pregnant mothers and infants were made in both the United Kingdom and United States mother and infant units, all allowed smoking to some degree. It is of particular interest that as of 1 June 2011, when the New Zealand ban on smoking in prison came into effect, there has been no unrest or riots as might have been expected and which was a significant concern to those prisons I visited. Judges in some states in America routinely sentence a pregnant woman to 366 days in a state prison, allowing her to potentially keep her infant with her in a nursery. A sentence of less than 366 days in a city jail with no nursery will lead to an automatic separation once the infant is born. A prison nursery affords a unique opportunity for a recidivist offending pregnant woman to raise her infant in a 'safe and secure' environment away from her complex and generally violent life in the community. In addition, she receives intensive and ongoing support and parent education that will assist her to attain a secure attachment to her infant, so reducing the probability of further prison terms and her children being removed and raised by the state sector. In the absence of mother and infant alternatives to prison residential facilities, and depending on the seriousness of offending, this option is worthy of serious consideration by the New Zealand judiciary. Bedford Hills New York not only has extensive programmes for both mothers and their infants, but also mothers estranged from older children. In addition, the supported accommodation, employment assistance and general through service given by the Hour Children Charity offered an outstanding opportunity for recidivist women to reverse the probable negative trajectory for both themselves and their children. Nebraska also went to considerable effort to assist mothers estranged from their children with the five nights a month option in the prison nursery as well as the early childhood visiting facilities and playground facilities. in New Zealand, in spite of the problem of whether responsibility lies with the Department of Corrections or Child Youth and Family, the issue of support for mothers and their infants post-release needs to be addressed. This is central to whether or not prison nurseries, both now and in the future, are considered cost effective and can contribute significantly to reducing reoffending. The New Zealand government's view (then Minister of Corrections Hon Judith Collins) when the new units at Christchurch and Auckland Women's Prisons were officially opened in September 2011 was "this is money well spent if it stops the babies becoming criminals". I contend that equal effort and expenditure is essential in the community if recidivism among these mothers is to be successfully reduced. The recently published (April 2012) Commission on Women's Offending (Dame Elish Angiolini commissioned by the Scottish government) makes some important recommendations concerning the establishment of 'one stop shop' community facilities that have both residential beds and day centre programmes for low risk repeat female offenders. The purpose is to address their criminality, mental health and trauma issues as well as alcohol and drug addictions. While there are some residential centres in New Zealand they tend to have limited places and limited resources and they have a single focus e.g. drug and alcohol treatment. Such centres, so long as they catered for children as well, could provide the all-important through centre concept for mothers and their infants from the mother and baby prison units. Dame Elish Angiolini's report was in response to the doubling of the Scottish female rates of incarceration over the previous ten years, now having reached a number very similar to that found in New Zealand. It highlights that in a single year up to 30,000 children will have had a mother or father behind bars, 30 per cent of whom will develop physical and mental health problems and up to half will themselves go on to offend. The cost effectiveness of establishing residential and non-residential centres for female offenders in preference to imprisonment is obvious when compared to the cost of female prison cells in New Zealand. Such centres, together with the through care concept for mothers and their infants returning to the community from the mother and baby units in our female prisons, have the potential to reduce recidivism and ensure better outcomes for mothers, children and families. Details: Wellington: New Zealand Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, 2012. 167p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 5, 2016 at: www.communitymatters.govt.nz Year: 2012 Country: International URL: www.communitymatters.govt.nz Shelf Number: 138933 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFemale InmatesFemale PrisonersFemale PrisonsPrison Nurseries |
Author: Whiteacre, Kevin Title: Assessing Outcomes for Wee Ones Nursery at the Indiana Women's Prison Summary: The purpose of this study is to assess different outcomes from participating in the Indiana Women's Prison Wee Ones Nursery (WON) program. We compared recidivism rates between women participating in WON (n=90) and women who gave birth while in prison prior to WON (i.e., before 2008) but who would likely have been eligible (n=98). We also conducted follow-up qualitative interviews with a sample of WON participants (n=15) and pre-WON women (n=12). The interviews included open-ended questions as well as a brief survey with closed-ended items comprised of previously validated scales. Based on the findings, we conclude with some possible directions for the future of WON. The study tested four specific hypotheses: H1: WON participants will have lower recidivism rates than women who gave birth in IWP prior to WON. H2: WON participants are more likely to have custody of their child delivered in prison than the control group. H3: WON participants will report greater attachment to their child than the control group. H4: WON participants will report greater parenting self-esteem than the control group. Details: Indianapolis, IN: University of Indianapolis, Community Research Center, 2013. 25p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 5, 2016 at: http://www.uindy.edu/documents/Assessing_Outcomes_for_Wee_Ones_Nursery_at_Indiana_Womens_Prison.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.uindy.edu/documents/Assessing_Outcomes_for_Wee_Ones_Nursery_at_Indiana_Womens_Prison.pdf Shelf Number: 138934 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFemale InmatesFemale PrisonersFemale PrisonsPrison Nurseries |
Author: Western Australia, Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services Title: Female Prisons in Western Australia and the Greenough Women's Precinct Summary: Women still form a relatively small proportion of Western Australia's prison population but their numbers have grown quickly, and at a much faster rate than male numbers. At the time of writing, there were 486 women in prison, a staggering increase of 40 per cent in five years (in July 2009 there were 350). The number of male prisoners has increased by 15 per cent over the same period (from 4120 to 4748). Greenough Regional Prison has always accommodated a number of women, usually around 25 and historically in Unit Five, a claustrophobic, confined and run down area. In 2012, in response to a crisis of numbers at Bandyup Women's Prison, a newer larger unit, Unit Four, was converted to the use of women prisoners. The women already at Greenough were moved into Unit Four in late November 2012 and Unit Five became a male unit. Women began being transferred from other prisons, especially Bandyup and Roebourne Regional Prison, from late January 2013. Unit Four is located within the same perimeter fence as the rest of the prison, close to male accommodation blocks, the oval and a number of other amenities. It is separated from the male accommodation areas by a mesh fence topped by razor wire. A privacy screen was added to the fence line adjacent to the male prisoners' accommodation, obscuring the view in and out of the women's unit. This adds some degree of visual, but not aural, privacy. Additional supporting infrastructure, in the form of demountables, was added to allow for the provision of education, programs, and other services to be delivered to the women separately. The Unit's grounds also include a basketball/netball court, some isometric gym equipment, and a pleasant garden area. However it is not entirely self-contained, and this generates some significant issues. When Unit Four is fully occupied, it has a total capacity of 69. Therefore, compared with Unit Five, it offers a gain of up to 44 beds for women. Importantly though, the new Women's Precinct offered an opportunity to do much more for women being held at Greenough than had been done in the past. This report provides a review of services for women prisoners at Greenough based on an on-site inspection in August 2013. It also provides a thematic overview of the state of women's imprisonment in Western Australia, and the historical context which brought about the need for the creation of the Greenough Women's Precinct. Details: Perth: Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services, 2014. 76p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 5, 2016 at: http://www.oics.wa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/91-Greenough-Women.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Australia URL: http://www.oics.wa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/91-Greenough-Women.pdf Shelf Number: 138938 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersFemale PrisonsPrisons |
Author: Allen, Rob Title: Meeting the Needs of Young Adult Women in Custody Summary: This report looks at how best the prison system can meet the needs of young adult women. It follows T2A's 2013 report 'Young Adults in Custody: the way forward' which considered the broader issues relating to young adults in prison. That report coincided with proposals by the Coalition Government to dispense with specific young offender institutions (YOIs) and instead to detain young adults in mixed establishments - a practice that has been increasing over the last few years1. The Government's plans were put on hold pending the outcome of Lord Harris's independent review into self-inflicted deaths in custody of 18-24 year olds which reported on July 1st 2015. The Government responded to the review in December 2015. In the meantime the House of Commons Justice Select Committee has embarked on a major inquiry into young adults in the criminal justice system. Details: London: T2A Transition to Adulthood, 2016. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 13, 2016 at: http://www.t2a.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Young-Adult-Women-in-Custody_LR2.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.t2a.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Young-Adult-Women-in-Custody_LR2.pdf Shelf Number: 139010 Keywords: Criminal Justice ReformFemale InmatesFemale OffendersYoung Adult Offenders |
Author: Baker, Jo Title: Conditions for Women in Detention: Needs, vulnerabilities and good practices Summary: While all human beings are vulnerable when deprived of their liberty, certain groups are at particular risk. For women, the discrimination that they face in broader society reaches deep into places of detention such as prisons, which are largely still designed and managed for men, by men. As a minority - although a growing one in many counties - detained women are often overlooked at the expense of their dignity, wellbeing and human rights. Yet, as now well established in international law, women's specific needs require different and sometimes greater attention in order for women to enjoy their rights equally to men. As particularly well established in the recently adopted UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (Bangkok Rules) there are concrete ways in which this must be done. This study focuses on conditions for women in detention, and works by theme, from physical conditions and provisions, to areas such as health, safety and work. For each, DIGNITY presents the level of protection that has developed for detained women in international standards, and determines whether this has been well reflected in the jurisprudence of four major UN human rights treaty bodies in the past six years (2008-13). Dignity has intertwined this review with empirical research in women's prisons in five very different countries, with emphasis on the voices of inmates themselves. During in-depth, private conversations, we have asked detained women, what matters most to you? This research was conducted in Albania, Jordan, Guatemala, the Philippines, and Zambia in 2013 and early 2014, among almost 90 detained or formerly detained women in 11 facilities, and more than 80 prison staff and others working with detained populations, from NGOs staff to lawyers and social workers. Details: Copenhagen: Danish Institute Against Torture (DIGNITY), 2014. 131p. Source: Internet Resource: DIGNITY Publication Series, Study No. 7: Accessed June 10, 2016 at: https://dignityinstitute.org/media/2065759/pubseriesno7_wid_final_0814.pdf Year: 2014 Country: International URL: https://dignityinstitute.org/media/2065759/pubseriesno7_wid_final_0814.pdf Shelf Number: 139362 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale OffendersFemale Prisoners |
Author: Baker, Jo Title: Conditions for Women in Detention in Zambia: Needs, Vulnerabilities and Good Practices Summary: While conditions for women in Zambia's under-resourced prison system are largely considered better than those for men, a closer look tells a different story. As a minority, it may be that various women's facilities suffer from less (yet still chronic) congestion, are subject to lighter security restrictions, and allow more flexibility, at the discretion of the warden. Yet as revealed by this study, there is a broad, acute and harmful lack of consideration for the special needs of women in detention, in forms acknowledged by and less visible to officials and personnel in the Zambia Prison Service (ZPS or Prison Service). These gaps are detrimental to the dignity and wellbeing of female detainees and breach many of their human rights. Key among these gaps are a lack of basic hygiene provisions and gender-specific healthcare. These present particular risk to the health of inmates, among others, who are pregnant, living with HIV, accompanied by young children or for those who, because of stigma or distance from family (which are both, in many cases, worse for men than women), have no outside assistance at all. Although the Prison Service should be commended for the continued opening of prisons to outside support and a human rights approach, it must observe its State responsibility to meet detainees' basic needs. Female inmates were largely found to be isolated from family, including children, and from other forms of outside support, which research has indicated is likely to be more harmful to women than men, in general, from a psychological and material perspective. For the women interviewed in Zambia, this was often the greatest cause of anxiety and despair (as summarized in the section, What Matters Most). Female inmates lack access to vocational, educational and recreational activities that are made available to men; they are also unremunerated, even though many women face extreme anxiety about supporting themselves and any dependents on release, in the context of rejection from their husbands, families and communities. Key, also, are discriminatory barriers to complaint and information that place them at risk. The Offender Management role has been seen to fill critical gaps in admissions screenings and orientation for female inmates, in identifying special needs and connecting them with needed services and counseling, but it is under resourced and under supported institutionally. Men and women are separated in law and to a great extent, in practice, and inmates were protected from gender-based violence and harassment by men in the facilities visited by DIGNITY, according to our research. In contrast to reports of police custody, a sharp decline in the use of physical violence and torture against women by prison staff has also been reported in recent years, among other improvements. Yet DIGNITY is concerned that sexual relationships with male staff are not fully and effectively prevented in some facilities, and degrading and harmful disciplinary measures were also found to be used by female staff, including body searching practices. Attention to staff training, gender awareness and attitudes would make a great difference - particularly among female staff -- as would measures to encourage free, regular and dignified contact with family and children; structured activities to engage and empower women (personally and economically); and greater attention to sanitation and health provisions, particularly for pregnant women, new mothers, and children. While these may be most important for women with long sentences, they are also urgently needed in small rural prisons, where women may have very little. The role of the Offender Managers, if adequately resourced, gender trained and institutionally supported, could be one of the most effective ways to ensure the well-being and dignity of women in detention in Zambia. Details: Danish Institute Against Torture (DIGNITY), 2015. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: DIGNITY Publication Series on Torture and Organised Violence no. 12: Accessed June 13, 2016 at: https://dignityinstitute.org/media/2066110/pubserieswid12.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Zambia URL: https://dignityinstitute.org/media/2066110/pubserieswid12.pdf Shelf Number: 139426 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersPrisonsWomen Prisoners |
Author: Baker, Jo Title: Conditions for Women in Detention in the Philippines: Needs, Vulnerabilities and Good Practices Summary: What are the particular needs, issues, risks and vulnerabilities that face imprisoned women across the world? What challenges and promising practices are common in their management? And where do these practices fall in relation to international standards? These questions lie at the heart of DIGNITY's research into conditions for women in detention in four countries - of which this Philippines country study is one part. The management of women in the Philippines' vast and fragmented penal system demonstrates a broad spectrum of approaches. In some smaller, provincial facilities women are reportedly detained with minimal or no attention to their human rights or particular needs, including the right to be held separately from male inmates, causing strong concern for their safety and wellbeing. In other women-only prisons and pre-trial facilities, visited by DIGNITY in 2013, close attention is given to inmates' welfare, and good practices can be found for other resource-constrained countries - particularly in the management of visits and the use of structured activity to keep inmates active and motivated. In speaking to detainees (as summarized in the section, What Matters Most), DIGNITY has been able to understand the critical importance of ties to the outside world, particularly to children and lawyers, of dignified spaces in which to meet visitors, and of opportunities to take on responsibility, and stay busy. We have been told of the acute need for gender-sensitive healthcare, particularly in areas of reproductive and sexual health, and for survivors of gender-based violence, and substance abusers. Women have spoken of gendered risks and dangers that they face while in detention, including sexual exploitation, mental health risks and harmful forms of misinformation. They have also shared their experiences of abandonment and stigma, which many believe are experienced differently and disproportionately by women. Yet in only one of the country's penal systems, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), is the operational approach gender responsive - and comprehensively so. A series of operational guidelines circulated among staff of the Correctional institute for Women in 2013 has integrated the recently elaborated United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (Bangkok Rules) into the management of the prisons. This has ensured that a broad range of measures respond to the special needs and common histories of women, both generally and as members of particular groups, to help protect their rights and ensure their wellbeing. These measures include the development of alternative screening methods to strip searches and invasive body searches, and the recognition that disciplinary sanctions for inmates must never include a prohibition of family contact, especially with children. They ensure that a portion of inmates' earnings are placed in a savings fund to be made available on release, and include the development of strategies to provide gender-specific and individualized psychosocial and psychiatric support, and prevent suicide and self-harm. The memorandum also commendably requires that: "The treatment of prisoners should emphasize not their exclusion from the community, but their continuing part in it," and urges flexibility and assistance for visiting friends and relatives, where needed. In order to ensure that these commendable guidelines offer effective and sustainable protection for BuCor detainees, the next step must be to make them legally binding. Meanwhile, as welfare programmes and guidelines are being championed and developed across this vast penal network, and steps to centralize its procedures are taken, the chance to mainstream gender in policy, operational guidelines and training is being missed. As the number of female detainees continues to grow, it is critical that their needs and human rights are adequately reflected in these processes, in accordance with international standards. Given the positive practices found in visits to both BuCor and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) facilities, it is clear that coordination and lesson sharing between staff across these systems could go a long way in achieving this. Details: Copenhagen: Danish Institute Against Torture (DIGNITY), 2015. 43p. Source: Internet Resource: DIGNITY Publication Series on Torture and Organised Violence no. 11: Accessed June 13, 2016 at: https://dignityinstitute.org/media/2066109/pubserieswid11.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Philippines URL: https://dignityinstitute.org/media/2066109/pubserieswid11.pdf Shelf Number: 139427 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersPrisonsWomen Prisoners |
Author: Baker, Jo Title: Conditions for Women in Detention in Albania: Needs, Vulnerabilities and Good Practices Summary: What are the particular needs, issues, risks and vulnerabilities that face imprisoned women across the world? What challenges and promising practices are common in their management? And where do these practices fall in relation to international standards? These questions lie at the heart of DIGNITY's research into conditions for women in detention in four countries - of which this Albania country study is one part. The management of women in Albania's prison system has shown growing consideration for their special needs. Until recently this was not systematic, but reflected in the work of enlightened officials in the prison system, and NGOs. However in 2014 the State made a commendable series of gender-sensitive amendments to the prison law, and transferred all female detainees permanently from a substandard and much-criticised pre-detention facility to the country's only prison facility for women. DIGNITY's visit to this prison in 2013, governed by its former director, revealed good practices. Findings here suggest that when gender-sensitive staff can support female inmates emotionally, reduce trauma and stigma, treat health issues, and connect inmates with their families and special services, then morale will likely be higher, rights better protected, and the chances of rehabilitation greater. Importantly, DIGNITY found outreach efforts being made by staff to the families of inmates, which responds to the often-greater need and challenge of detained women to contact the outside world, particularly their children. We found preventive healthcare and education that addressed the often-lower levels of health knowledge and access to care in women's backgrounds. Other significant findings included willingness by the administration to open the prison to the community outside of its walls in order to help combat the harmful effects of stigma, isolation and abandonment among detainees (as summarized in the section, What Matters Most). Each of these responses addresses an important provision in the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules), although they were not all implemented systematically or protected as law or policy. However, the facility faces significant infrastructure and resource challenges, particularly now that it also houses pre-trial detainees, and in this respect it is considered by staff and NGOs to be among the worst in the penal system in certain respects. Hygiene facilities are inadequate, and living quarters are run-down and lack the space, ventilation and heat required by international standards. Although inmates can train and work, they are not equally remunerated, and the very low rates of pay place them and their dependents in a vulnerable position on release. The over-use of pre-trial detention for low-risk offenders, which often stretches to months if not years, is also of serious concern. Finally, the practice of regularly redistributing or removing prison staff, at all levels, as happened after the 2013 General Election, arbitrarily interrupts relationships, trainings and programmes that have been tailored to a particularly vulnerable population, and may well as a result, do harm. This requires further consideration. Details: Copenhagen: Danish Institute Against Torture (DIGNITY), 2015. 35p. Source: Internet Resource: DIGNITY Publication Series on Torture and Organised Violence no. 10: Accessed June 13, 2016 at: https://dignityinstitute.org/media/2066108/pubserieswid10.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Albania URL: https://dignityinstitute.org/media/2066108/pubserieswid10.pdf Shelf Number: 139428 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersPrisonsWomen Prisoners |
Author: Baker, Jo Title: Conditions for Women in Detention in Jordan: Needs, Vulnerabilities and Good Practices Summary: What are the particular needs, issues, risks and vulnerabilities that face imprisoned women across the world? What challenges and promising practices are common in their management? And where do these practices fall in relation to international standards? These questions lie at the heart of DIGNITY's research into conditions for women in detention in four countries - of which this Jordan country study is one part. The strong social norms and forms of discrimination that women face in Jordan reach deep into places of detention, and their experience of being detained. To be a detained woman here, in many cases, is to lose touch with the majority of your family members and your children despite an acute need for intimate and social contact, and to feel isolated from the outside world. It is often to be heavily stigmatized by your own community, and by prison staff. It is to have likely experienced forms of gender-based violence before entering prison - some physically and mentally debilitating in the name of honour - and to not receive the help that you need in order to recover. And it is to have many of your other needs and human rights go largely unmet and unprotected, including the right to rehabilitation. In its management of women there are some areas in which Jordan's Public Security Directorate (PSD) complies with core human rights treaties and other international standards. Detained women are commendably well-protected from gender-based violence by men in most cases because of the strict segregation by sex that takes place between inmates and DIGNITY's research among women's prisons and prison communities staff from the moment of arrest. Torture of women is also rarely reported. Some physical conditions in the main prison for women in Amman comply with basic minimum rules. However in many other ways, Jordan fails to meet the gender-specific needs and human rights of its female judicial and administrative detainees. The most serious violations reported during this study were the inhuman and degrading treatment of female inmates by prison officers, particularly during admissions processes, and inadequate staff intervention in violence between inmates in the Juweida Women's Correctional and Rehabilitation Center (JWC or 'Juweida') that included cases of threats, sexual molestation, beating and burnings. Gender-specific healthcare was largely absent, including mental healthcare, and some basic sanitary products are not provided for free. No structured rehabilitation programme is offered, and attempts to provide vocational and educational training or work, are minimal and insufficient. Although DIGNITY is informed that children under the age of three may live with their mothers in prisons, there are some unanswered questions about the extent to which this option is provided, both generally, and in regard to children who are born outside of marriage - including those born as a result of rape. Detainees feel profoundly isolated, struggle to access information and outside contact - particularly those with children - and can face disrespectful and harsh attitudes from female frontline staff (as summarized in the section What Matters Most. These factors in particular appear to account for a low general morale. Levels of depression appear high and incidents of self-harm, including hunger strikes, are not uncommon. This environment is particularly harmful for those who have experienced extreme violence, those who have been separated from their babies or young children, and those who are detained indefinitely, involuntarily and without due process under the 1954 Crime Prevention Law, for the ostensible purpose of their own protection (known also as 'protective', 'preventive' or 'precautionary' detention), including foreign migrants and/or rape victims. The situation of foreign migrants, many of whom lack proper identification or residency documents (often as victims of labour rights violations) and have very little contact with their families and lawyers, is also of particular concern. These women are often held in temporary detention, where information about them and their conditions is difficult to obtain. Combinations of these factors above intersect in detention among both Jordanian and foreign women, creating an axis of tremendous harm and vulnerability. As Jordan enters a phase in which it is amending key legislation related to the criminal procedure, drafting a new national human rights plan, and engaging in dialogue under the review of key UN bodies, it is hoped that the situation of this group receive the attention it so urgently requires. Details: Copenhagen: Danish Institute Against Torture (DIGNITY), 2015. 77p. Source: Internet Resource: DIGNITY Publication Series on Torture and Organised Violence no. 9: Accessed June 13, 2016 at: https://dignityinstitute.org/media/2066001/pubseriesno9_wid_jordan.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Jordan URL: https://dignityinstitute.org/media/2066001/pubseriesno9_wid_jordan.pdf Shelf Number: 139429 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersPrisonsWomen Prisoners |
Author: Clancy, Deirdre, Compiler Title: Falling Through the Cracks: Reflections on Customary Law and the Imprisonment of Women in South Sudan Summary: The objective of this research paper is to shed light onto women's human rights in the newly independent Republic of South Sudan and to call attention to the thousands of women who are adversely affected through their engagement with the current customary and statutory legal systems. Over the past half-century, the women of South Sudan have carried the burden of violent conflict and the accompanying disintegration of their communities, as well as endured the agony of displacement and life in refugee camps. These women remained resolute in the face of racism, discriminatory policies and attitudes during the 39 years of civil war that plagued the Sudan, striving to earn a living and sustain their families and communities amid extreme hardships. Many of these women have not had the opportunity to sit at the benches of formal education institutions; however, they have learned from their ongoing privation and struggle to confront the challenges that they deal with on a daily basis. This is not to undermine the merit of formal education; rather, it is to challenge the notion that quantifiable development policies like education are the solution to "Africa's problems". Rather that we should acknowledge that equal access to education elsewhere in the world has been the result of the mainstreaming of human rights and democratic principles. Associated with this is the complex and delicate nature of identity politics in South Sudan. Indeed, one of the most pressing issues facing the people of this emerging nation is how they will be able to create an identity based on human rights while also initiating a development process that provides citizens with basic services, such as education, health care and clean water and sanitation. This is a dilemma that has been evident in many of Africa's nation-states and has led to the creation of an identity where people are defined in relation to their progress and what they can show in terms of development, with achievements in human rights and democracy taking a back seat to some sort of tangible prosperity. It is critical to bear in mind that without equitable human rights, development will not be attained. Details: Kampala: The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA), 2012. 110p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 13, 2016 at: http://www.sihanet.org/sites/default/files/resource-download/FALLING_Through_the_Cracks_compressed.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Sudan URL: http://www.sihanet.org/sites/default/files/resource-download/FALLING_Through_the_Cracks_compressed.pdf Shelf Number: 140256 Keywords: Customary LawFemale InmatesFemale PrisonersGender-Related IssuesHuman Rights |
Author: California State Auditor, Bureau of State Audits Title: Sterilization of Female Inmates: Some Inmates Were Sterilized Unlawfully, and Safeguards Designed to Limit Occurrences of the Procedure Failed Summary: The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (Corrections) oversees the inmate population of the State's 33 adult prisons. During our eight-year audit period-which we defined as fiscal years 2005-06 through 2012-13-four of these prisons housed substantially all of the female inmates: California Institution for Women, Central California Women's Facility, Folsom Women's Facility, and Valley State Prison for Women (Valley). Valley no longer houses women since its conversion to a men's prison in January 2013. For much of our audit period, Corrections' role in providing inmates with medical care was not significant; the more substantial role was played by California Correctional Health Care Services (Receiver's Office) under the direction of a federal court-appointed receiver. A receiver took control of prison medical care in 2006 and will retain control until the court finds that Corrections can maintain a constitutionally adequate prison medical care system. From fiscal years 2005-06 through 2012-13, 144 female inmates were sterilized by a procedure known as a bilateral tubal ligation. The last of these female inmate sterilizations occurred in 2011. Although various surgical procedures may result in a female's sterilization, bilateral tubal ligations are generally surgical procedures that are performed for the sole purpose of sterilization, and state regulations impose certain requirements that must be met before such a procedure is performed. However, the state entities responsible for providing medical care to these inmates- Corrections1 and the Receiver's Office-sometimes failed to ensure that inmates' consent for sterilization was lawfully obtained. Audit Highlights . . . Our audit of female inmate sterilizations occurring over an eight-year period revealed the following: - 144 female inmates were sterilized through a surgery known as bilateral tubal ligation. - 39 inmates were sterilized following deficiencies in the informed consent process. - We saw no evidence that the inmate's physician signed the required consent form in 27 cases. - In 18 cases, we noted potential violations of the required waiting period between when the inmate consented to the procedure and when the sterilization procedure actually took place. - Among these 39 inmates there were six cases where we noted violations of both consent form and waiting period. - Neither the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation nor the California Correctional Health Care Services ensured that the informed consent requirements were followed in 19 instances in which their employees obtained inmates' consent. Details: Sacramento: California State Auditor, 2014. 49p. Source: Internet Resource: Report 2013-120: Accessed September 28, 2016 at: https://www.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2013-120.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://www.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2013-120.pdf Shelf Number: 140484 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale PrisonersPrison Health CareSterilization |
Author: Masson, Isla MacMarquis Title: The long-term impact of short periods of imprisonment on mothers Summary: This research examines how even an initial short period in prison negatively impacts mothers and their children. It involves a series of semi-structured interviews with 16 mothers during and post-custody; looking at the different ways in which multiple aspects of their lives are negatively affected for longer periods than their incarceration. It is argued that prison often increases the social disadvantages that many of the women encounter on a day-to-day basis. Based on this research it is suggested that the morally significant harms of prison need to be considered at the time of sentencing. Incarceration is not just about a temporary loss of liberty, even short terms in prison have longer multi-dimensional consequences. The thesis will begin by looking at the use of remand for women as well as examining the sentencing rationales for the use of short sentences. It will explore the problems with these forms of punishment, particularly for non-violent, and often vulnerable, women. It will be argued that these women experience multiple pains of incarceration, often compounded by the short period in which they are imprisoned. It will be suggested that their feelings of injustice may affect whether they are able to embrace any opportunities in prison and address feelings of guilt. The thesis will also examine these mothers' experiences post-custody, describing which problems are on-going, which are resolved and what new unexpected problems arise. Given that they are mothers, their understanding of the harm of the separation to their children will also be explored. It will be concluded that the punishment should be balanced against the rights of mothers and their children. As such the use of short sentences for women should be significantly reduced, however if they continue to be used there need to be a series of changes to minimise the harms caused to this group. Details: London: King's College London, 2014. 278p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed October 14, 2016 at: https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/files/40829056/2014_Masson_Isla_0945442_ethesis.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/files/40829056/2014_Masson_Isla_0945442_ethesis.pdf Shelf Number: 144806 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale Prisoners |
Author: Wenke, Daja Title: Marginalized: The Aboriginal Women's experience in Federal Corrections Summary: The story of how so many Aboriginal women came to be locked up within federal penitentiaries is a story filled with a long history of dislocation and isolation, racism, brutal violence as well as enduring a constant state of poverty beyond poor. The aforementioned factors combined have culminated into the current crisis of highly disproportionate rates of Aboriginal women in the Canadian Federal Corrections system. The current state of over-representation is nothing short of a crisis; that being said it has been a crisis for quite some time now1 with reports from as far back as the 1980s identifying the issue and predicting that the numbers would only increase. Given the current state of the system, absent immediate change, the outlook is bleak for Aboriginal women, their families and communities. Aboriginal peoples account for 4% of the Canadian population; however, within the federal corrections population, Aboriginal peoples comprise 20% of the total incarcerated offender population. The over-representation is even more pronounced in terms of Aboriginal women incarceration rates: As of April 2010, Aboriginal women accounted for 32.6% of the total female offender population, this means that one out of every three women federally incarcerated is of Aboriginal descent. The rates at which Aboriginal women are incarcerated have been on the rise for quite some time. Over the past 10 years, the representation of Aboriginal women has increased by nearly 90%; as such they represent the fastest growing offender population. Furthermore, there is no indication of any anticipated decline. As of April 2010, there were 164 Aboriginal women serving federal sentences. Aboriginal women in federal penitentiaries tend to be younger than their non-Aboriginal counterparts. The Aboriginal female offender profile when compared to that of the non-Aboriginal female indicates that there is an age gap of 5 years and 4 months, meaning that the average age of the Aboriginal female inmate is 34 years old. Overall, Aboriginal people have a higher representation in the 21-40 year old age group than non-Aboriginal offenders and the trend is even more pronounced in regard to Aboriginal female offenders - 39% of the total Aboriginal female offender population are within this age group. Furthermore, the face of the new offender population in terms of Aboriginal people is younger than those Aboriginal persons already incarcerated. Given that Aboriginal peoples are the fastest growing population within Canada and that the projected demographics indicate that the over-representation of Aboriginal peoples in the criminal justice system will only continue to grow, aggressive action must be taken now to address the issues of Aboriginal women in federal corrections. However, it is highly unlikely that the issues of such a marginalized population will receive the attention and resources necessary to even begin to address the multitude of issues. Absent political will, fundamental change will not occur within the system. Furthermore, given the political climate of late, there is no indication that effective change for Aboriginal women in Corrections will occur anytime soon. The Federal Government's "Tough on Crime Agenda" does nothing to ameliorate the disproportionate rates at which Aboriginal peoples are incarcerated - quite the opposite, in terms of Aboriginal peoples' over-representation within the justice system, the federal government's current plan will only serve to further increase the numbers and worsen the already staggering injustice experienced by Aboriginal peoples as a whole. Details: Ottawa: Aboriginal Corrections Policy Unit Public Safety Canada, 2012. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 21, 2016 at: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/mrgnlzd/mrgnlzd-eng.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Canada URL: Shelf Number: 131161 Keywords: Aboriginal PeoplesFemale InmatesFemale OffendersWomen Prisoners |
Author: Gerry, Felicity Title: Women in prison: is the justice system fit for purpose? Summary: This discussion paper builds upon our first paper Women in Prison: Is the penal system fit for purpose? That paper was presented at a forum hosted by Halsbury's Law Exchange on 11 November 2014. In the paper, we adopted what we considered to be a realistic approach to the issue of reform, accepting that some women will receive custodial sentences upon conviction. However drawing upon research conducted by various organisations including the Ministry of Justice, we noted that the inevitable conclusion to be drawn from the data was that the penal system is failing women. For example, it is clear that women prisoners are far more likely than their male counterparts to have mental health issues, to self-harm and be dependent on drugs. We acknowledge the commitment made by the then Minister Simon Hughes MP at the 2014 forum to address these issues and some of the efforts made by the Ministry of Justice since, including comparative statistical analysis. We note, however, that statistics on exploitation, abuse and coercion are not included as either reasons for non-prosecution or as mitigating factors at sentencing. Our 2014 paper was originally created with a view to a full report in 2015 on penal policy and rehabilitation for women. However, in the intervening period stakeholders published comprehensive reports and publications which address many of the issues we raised. We have set these out in our comprehensive bibliography but draw attention in particular to the work of the Prison Reform Trust in their women's programme and Bromley Prison briefings, and the work of the Howard League for Penal Reform and their participation in and publication of the work of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Women in the Penal System. Since our last paper, numbers of female prisoners have fallen but most women are still experiencing the devastating effects of short term sentences.8 Incidents of self-harm by female prisoners also seem to be falling but many are still reporting having experienced emotional, physical or sexual abuse as a child and domestic violence.9 The closing of HMP Holloway prison has raised concerns that the priority is selling of valuable estate rather than providing housing, family links and alternative services.10 These issues and more mean that this paper and the linked forum are still necessary to discuss the justice system and whether it is fit for purpose for women. Details: London: Halsbury's Law Exchange, 2016. 57p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 16, 2016 at: http://blogs.lexisnexis.co.uk/halsburyslawexchange/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2016/11/SA-1016-077-Women-in-Prison-Paper-ONLINE-FINAL.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://blogs.lexisnexis.co.uk/halsburyslawexchange/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2016/11/SA-1016-077-Women-in-Prison-Paper-ONLINE-FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 144848 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Offenders |
Author: Rope, Olivia Title: Women in Detention: Putting the UN Bangkok Rules on women prisoners into practice Summary: This training resource has been designed to support stakeholders to put the UN Bangkok Rules on women offenders and prisoners into practice. It draws on global good practice and research findings to provide practical guidance, using exercises and case studies. At the end of the ten modules, you will have the tools and knowledge to design gender-sensitive policies and practices for women offenders and prisoners and apply them in your professional role. The Workbook includes: 10 modules, with clear learning objectives brainstorming to develop new ideas exercises to check your understanding case studies to help you apply international standards good practices to inspire new thinking and provide solutions additional resources to delve deeper into specific topics end-of-module quizzes to assess your understanding. While the Workbook has been designed as a self-learning tool, it can also be used as part of group training sessions. It is designed for prison staff, policy‑makers, healthcare practitioners, representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations, and other interested stakeholders. Details: London: Penal Reform International, 2017. 188p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 2, 2017 at: https://cdn.penalreform.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/PRI_BR_Workbook_WEB_lowres-1.pdf Year: 2017 Country: International URL: https://cdn.penalreform.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/PRI_BR_Workbook_WEB_lowres-1.pdf Shelf Number: 141294 Keywords: Bangkok RulesDetention PracticesFemale InmatesFemale OffendersGender-Specific PracticesWomen Prisoners |
Author: Prison Reform Trust Title: Why focus on reducing women's imprisonment? Summary: Key points • The women's prison population in England and Wales more than doubled between 1995 and 2010 - from under 2,000 women to over 4,000. The numbers have since declined by over 10% – from 4,279 women in April 2012 to 3,821 in April 2016. But the UK still has one of the highest rates of women’s imprisonment in Western Europe. • Women are a small minority of those in the criminal justice system, representing less than 5% of the prison population, and are easily overlooked in policy, planning, and services - they have been described as 'correctional afterthoughts'. • The drivers and patterns of women’s offending are generally different from men’s. • Most of the solutions to women's offending lie in improved access to community based support services, including women’s centres. These enable women to address underlying problems which may lead to offending but which the criminal justice system cannot solve. • The impact of imprisonment on women, more than half of whom have themselves been victims of serious crime, is especially damaging and their outcomes are worse than men's. • Most women have neither a home nor a job to go to on release. • Women are much more likely to be primary carers, with children far more directly affected by a prison sentence as a result. Details: London: PRT, 2017. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Prison Reform Trust Briefing: Accessed March @, 2017 at: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/Women/whywomen.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/Women/whywomen.pdf Shelf Number: 141301 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale OffendersPrison ReformWomen Prisoners |
Author: American Civil Liberties Union Title: Worse than Second-Class: Solitary Confinement of Women in the United States Summary: Solitary confinement - locking a prisoner in isolation away from most, if not all, human contact for twenty-two to twenty-four hours per day for weeks, months, or even years at a time-is inhumane. When used for longer than fifteen days, or on vulnerable populations such as children and people with mental illness, the practice is recognized by human rights experts as a form of torture. Prisons and jails across the United States lock prisoners in solitary confinement for a range of reasons-punitive, administrative, protective, medical-but whatever the reason, the conditions are similarly harsh and damaging. Experts in psychology, medicine, and corrections agree that solitary confinement can have uniquely harmful effects; this consensus has led experts to call for the practice to be banned in all but the most extreme cases of last resort, when other alternatives have failed or are not available, where safety is a concern, and for the shortest amount of time possible. Across the United States, jails and prisons hold more than 200,000 women. These prisoners are routinely subjected to solitary confinement. Yet the use of solitary on women is often overlooked. Although the negative psychological impacts of solitary confinement are well known, the unique harms and dangers of subjecting women prisoners to this practice have rarely been examined or considered in evaluating the need for reforms in law or policy. As the number of incarcerated women climbs at an alarming pace, women and their families and communities are increasingly affected by what happens behind bars. It is critical to address the treatment of women in prison-especially those women subjected to the social and sensory deprivation of solitary confinement. Details: New York: ACLU, 2014. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 1, 2017 at: https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/field_document/worse_than_second-class.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/field_document/worse_than_second-class.pdf Shelf Number: 132384 Keywords: Female InmatesHuman RightsIsolationRestrictive HousingSolitary Confinement |
Author: Bellmore, Aimee Ryan Title: Gender, Culture, and Prison Classification: Testing the Reliability and Validity of a Prison Classification System Summary: Research consistently shows actuarial classification instruments have equal or higher predictive validity than clinical judgment and can lead to more ethical and fair treatment of incarcerated men and women (Austin, 1983, 1986; Bonta, 2002; Clements, 1981; Holsigner, Lowenkamp, & Latessa, 2006; Meehl, 1954; Salisbury, Van Voorhis, & Spiropoulos, 2009). Best correctional practice recommends all objective classification systems are tested for reliability and validity to ensure they are effective for the population they intend to serve (Austin, 1986; Holsinger et al., 2006; Salisbury et al., 2009). This study examined the reliability and validity of the classification and assessment instruments currently used by Golden Grove Adult Correctional Facility (Golden Grove), located on St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). Golden Grove is a mixed-gender, mixed-security status prison managed by the USVI territorial government, and is subject to United States Federal laws and mandates. Data from archival files were used to assess the internal reliability, construct validity, and predictive validity of the classification and assessment instruments used with incarcerated men and women at Golden Grove (N = 200). Primary objectives of this study were separated into four main categories: 1) examine the construct validity of Golden Grove's custody assessment tools; 2) investigate the predictive validity of Golden Grove's custody assessment tools across gender; 3) determine reliability and assess to what extent the primary classification officer's decisions have higher predictive validity than the actuarial tool; and 4) investigate the relationship between items on the needs assessment form and level of custody (minimum, medium, or maximum). Results were mixed but generally indicated weak reliability, construct validity, and predictive validity. Contrary to most research on gender and classification, a significant correlation between the initial custody score for incarcerated females and disciplinary reports (r = .26, n = 56, p < .05) indicated the initial custody tool predicted misconduct for maximum custody females better than for males. The mean number of disciplinary reports for maximum women (M = 1.12) was significantly higher compared to maximum men (M = .46). The classification officer overrode the instrument at a high rate for both the initial assessment instrument (44%) and the reassessment instrument (36.4%) rendering the objective assessment overly subjective. Overall, findings show the classification system at Golden Grove is not functioning as intended and improvements are recommended. Details: Portland, OR: Portland State University, 2011. 144p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed May 19, 2017 at: http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1422&context=open_access_etds Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1422&context=open_access_etds Shelf Number: 145570 Keywords: Classification of OffendersFemale InmatesInmate ClassificationPrisoner Classification |
Author: Messina, N. Title: Enhancing Prison Treatment for Women Offenders: An In-Depth follow-Up Study Summary: UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs (ISAP) conducted a two-year pilot study to test the efficacy of a drug abuse treatment program designed for drugdependent women in prison. Specifically, the study examined the relative effectiveness of a "relational-based," multifaceted program called Women's Integrated Treatment (WIT) compared to a standard prison therapeutic community (TC) treatment program. Relational-based programs emphasize the important role of relationships and intimate partners in women's addiction and recovery. The WIT program is a multi-faceted curriculum organized into four modules: 1) self module, 2) relationship module, 3) sexuality module, and 4) spirituality module. A trauma-informed curriculum was also delivered in conjunction with these modules. Other WIT program elements concern, for example, parenting techniques, child custody issues, grief and loss, and decision-making skills. The comparison TC program is comprised of an array of services, including, for instance, individual and group counseling, 12-step meetings, recreational and mutual self-help group discussions, and anger management training. Both programs offer 6 months of aftercare treatment in the community. Although the WIT curriculum has been fully developed (Covington, 1999, 2003), this study is the first empirical test of the curriculum. The pilot study involved the expertise of the Center for Gender and Justice; the cooperation of Valley State Prison for Women (VSPW) in Chowchilla, California; and the treatment experience of Walden House, Inc. - the prison treatment provider. An already existing program (i.e., Integrity) at VSPW was modified to incorporate the WIT curriculum and is thus the target program. The study used an experimental design with random assignment of participants to the two treatment conditions (Integrity vs. TC). A total of 115 participants were recruited, randomly assigned to either the Integrity or TC program, and interviewed at three time points: 1) program entry; 2) 6-months post parole; and 3) 12-months post parole. Data were collected from the participants at 6- and 12-month follow-up interviews, regardless of whether they completed the programs or not. Interviews at 6 months were conducted with 50 Integrity participants and 44 TC participants. Interviews were also conducted at 12 months with 44 Integrity participants and 41 TC participants. Details: Los Angeles: University of California Los Angeles, 2009. 23p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 21, 2017 at: http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Adult_Research_Branch/Research_Documents/Enhanced_Treatment_Women_Offenders_March_2009.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Adult_Research_Branch/Research_Documents/Enhanced_Treatment_Women_Offenders_March_2009.pdf Shelf Number: 146792 Keywords: Correctional ProgramsDrug Abuse TreatmentFemale InmatesFemale PrisonersSubstance Abuse Treatment |
Author: San Francisco. Office of the Controller. City Services Auditor Title: San Francisco County Jail Programs Survey: An analysis of survey responses from inmates participating in the Sheriff Department's in‐custody programs Summary: This report discusses the results of a survey that the City Performance Unit of the Controller's City Services Auditor (CSA) conducted with inmates participating in the following Sheriff in‐custody programs; - Community of Veterans Engaged in Recovery (COVER): This program is offered to male inmates in CJ #5. It offers employment training and connects participants with services offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs - Resolve to Stop the Violence (RSVP): This program is offered to male inmates in CJ #5 to reduce violent behaviors and recidivism related to violent crimes. - Roads to Recovery (ROADS): This program is offered to male inmates in CJ #5 and offers substance abuse prevention and treatment services. - Sisters in Sober Treatment Empowered in Recovery (SISTERS): This program is offered to female inmates in CJ #2 and includes counseling services related to trauma, domestic violence, and relapse prevention. The purpose of this survey was to seek feedback regarding the strengths and weaknesses of current programs to help the Sheriff's Department examine the effectiveness of the services they provide. The Sheriff's Department has limited information about program performance and would like to better understand how to optimally coordinate and deliver a system of programs for incarcerated individuals, with the ultimate goal of positively impacting inmate outcomes including recidivism. Details: San Francisco: Office of the Controller, 2015. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 23, 2017 at: http://sfcontroller.org/sites/default/files/FileCenter/Documents/6423-SF%20County%20Jail%20Programs%20Survey.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://sfcontroller.org/sites/default/files/FileCenter/Documents/6423-SF%20County%20Jail%20Programs%20Survey.pdf Shelf Number: 147430 Keywords: Correctional ProgramsFemale InmatesJail InmatesJail ProgramsJailsMilitary VeteransViolence PreventionViolent Offenders |
Author: Nolan, Amanda Title: An Assessment of the Women-Centred Training Orientation Program (WCTOP) Summary: The Correctional Service of Canada's (CSC) Women Offender Sector (WOS) delivers the Women-Centred Training Orientation Program (WCTOP) to all Primary Workers/Older Sisters (CX-02 deployments, recruits, or promotions) and all Behavioural Counsellors who will be working in women offender institutions. The objective of the WCTOP is to provide staff who work with women offenders an understanding of what it means to be women-centred with women and gain knowledge on the specific needs of women offenders. More specifically, the goals of the training program are to equip staff with an understanding of women offender issues and the principles of Creating Choices, the policies and procedures related to working with women, and the ability to set boundaries and recognize the balance between safety and security and the empowerment and reintegration of women offenders. Although WCTOP is considered to provide valuable information to staff on the specific needs of women offenders, the effectiveness and perceived benefit of the training has yet to be assessed. Accordingly, the current project was an assessment of the 10-day WCTOP. Using participant and facilitator feedback on training, pre- and post-training knowledge questionnaires, and a followup knowledge retention and application survey, the current study assessed the training implementation and effectiveness. With respect to knowledge presentation, facilitators and participants found the way in which the training was presented to be effective. Facilitators found the role play exercises to be of particular value, while the participants found effective communication, the women-centred approach, and Aboriginal cultural awareness to be of most value. Areas for possible improvement included organization of content and pertinent/useful materials. Participants considered the session on 'Aboriginal culture awareness' to be the most useful, while the session on 'Personal and team issues' was considered to be the least useful. In terms of knowledge retention, participants' average scores on the knowledge assessment questionnaire increased from 63% to 79% pre- to immediately and 8-months post-training. Survey results completed by 31 staff members at 8-months post-training found that the majority considered the WCTOP training to be at least "moderately helpful" in completing their job duties working with women offenders. In terms of knowledge application, the training sessions most applied by staff were 'empowerment, meaningful and responsible choices as well as respect and dignity', 'health, self-injury, and suicide', 'conflict theory and communication skills', and 'supportive environment and shared responsibility'. As a whole, WCTOP has met its objectives of increasing knowledge and awareness of the policies and procedures that govern women offenders. In addition, participants demonstrated an understanding of women offender issues and the principles of Creating Choices Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada, 2017. 53p. Source: Internet Resource: 2017 No. R-385: Accessed october 19, 2017 at: http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/scc-csc/PS83-3-385-eng.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Canada URL: http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/scc-csc/PS83-3-385-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 147738 Keywords: Corrections OfficersCorrections TrainingFemale InmatesFemale OffendersGender-Based ProgramsPrison GuardsWomen Offenders |
Author: McLean, Rachel Title: The WINDOW Study: Release from Jail: Moment of Crisis or Window of Opportunity for Female Detainees in Baltimore City? Summary: The numbers of women in prisons and jails has increased substantially in the past decade. The rate at which women are incarcerated increases each year. Female prisoners face different challenges than male prisoners. Incarcerated women are more likely than incarcerated men to have suffered from sexual abuse, be HIV positive, have a history of substance use and/or mental health issues, to be mothers, and to be unemployed at the time of arrest. Women are most often arrested for non-violent offenses such as drug possession, theft and prostitution, which stem from drug use and poverty. Women's needs upon reentry to the community differ as well, with an emphasis on family reunification, housing, drug treatment and childcare often superseding employment. Just as women differ from men in terms of their needs in prison and upon release, so do women exiting short periods of detention in jails differ from those exiting prisons. Women in jail are less likely to have had the time to make use of in-house programming than women in prison or to have post-release supervision through parole. For this reason, community based resources are needed to provide services to women exiting jails to stabilize women's lives and prevent their re-arrest. Particular attention is needed for communities in Baltimore City to which a large number of prisoners and detainees return that lack the capacity to provide jobs, housing and social support. Little is known about the needs unique to women exiting jails. The Window Study sought to identify the needs unique to women detained in the Baltimore City Women's Detention Center. One hundred forty eight female detainees at WDC were anonymously interviewed by public health graduate students from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health between January and March of 2005. The Window Study found high rates of mental illness, recent daily heroin and cocaine use, and commercial sex work among participants. Most women did not have insurance, and chronic diseases such as asthma, high blood pressure and diabetes were common. Five percent of female detainees interviewed reported being infected with HIV, and four percent reported being pregnant. Three quarters desired drug treatment upon release, and over half reported having been unable to afford drug treatment. Nearly half of detainees had no legal income prior to arrest, lacked a GED or high school diploma, and had no stable housing awaiting them upon release. An additional one fifth reported making less than $400/month. One quarter of women reported difficulties with literacy. Two-thirds did not have anyone to meet them at the moment of release. Thirty percent planned to walk or did not have a mode of transportation upon release. Eleven percent of women reported that there would be people using drugs or on probation at the place where they would be staying. Of the 80% of women with children, 58% had custody of at least one child. Women with strong family ties, insurance, and who lived in safe neighborhoods were more likely to have stable housing awaiting them upon release. Women with a history of sex work, and those who identified as bisexual or lesbian were less likely to have a place to stay upon release. The WINDOW Study identified a need for developing a continuum of care that addresses the immediate needs of women exiting pretrial detention, principally transportation, affordable housing, drug treatment, economic opportunity, assistance with entitlements and family reunification. Particular attention is needed for women struggling with addiction, lesbian and bisexual women, and those engaging in commercial sex work. Details: Baltimore, MD: Power Inside, 2005. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 7, 2017 at: http://www.realcostofprisons.org/pdfs/WINDOW%20ReportFinal.pdf Year: 2005 Country: United States URL: http://www.realcostofprisons.org/pdfs/WINDOW%20ReportFinal.pdf Shelf Number: 148060 Keywords: Drug Abuse and AddictionFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersJail InmatesSex Workers |
Author: Wilton, Geoff Title: The additive effects of women offenders' participation in multiple correctional interventions Summary: In the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), in addition to correctional programs, many other services and interventions are provided to women offenders to prepare them for release into the community and, ultimately, to reduce their risk to reoffend. Some of these services include employment and employability programs, educational programs, mental health programs and services, chaplaincy, prison visits, and social programs. While there is evidence suggesting that these types of interventions can have a positive impact on women's rehabilitation and reintegration, there is very little research that attempts to disentangle the relative contribution of participation in multiple interventions or services on women's outcomes. Since in CSC multiple correctional interventions and services are offered throughout the course of offenders' sentences, it is important to examine the extent to which these services provide "additive effects," that is, further improve the outcomes of offenders who participate in correctional programs. This study, therefore, determined the relative contribution of key services and interventions to rates of revocations of conditional release of federally sentenced women. All federally sentenced women admitted to the custody of CSC between September 2009 and August 2013 and released prior to April 13th, 2014 were included in the study (N = 918). The research design first controlled for differences between women offenders based on factors related to offending. Beginning with a control model subsequently applied to all analyses, interventions including CORCAN and CSC employment, education programs, vocational certificates, community employment centre services, prison visits, community correctional programs, and maintenance programs were added, first on their own, then all interventions significantly contributing to outcomes were added together in the final model. Previous research on federally sentenced men had found encouraging results with respect to CSC's overall approach to their rehabilitation. Likewise, this study on federally-sentenced women also found that the combination of services and interventions produced outcomes that significantly improved their chances of success on release. The most promising interventions were: (a) education programs, particularly those that enabled women to get close to obtaining a high school equivalent, (b) participation in community maintenance/booster sessions, and (c) having received at least one prison visit. When all the interventions were included in the model at the same time only prison visits and the number of education courses completed remained uniquely associated with reductions in the rates of revocations. Based on the results we can conclude that, in addition to correctional programs, other services offered to women offenders in CSC are associated with reduced revocations of conditional release even after controlling for risk factors associated with outcomes. This suggests that there are several methods by which CSC works to improve women's success on release in addition to offering correctional programs. Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service Canada, 2015. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 9, 2017 at: http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/scc-csc/PS83-3-369-eng.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Canada URL: http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/scc-csc/PS83-3-369-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 148098 Keywords: Correctional ProgramsFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersRecidivismRehabilitation Programs |
Author: Victorian Ombudsman Title: Implementing OPCAT in Victoria: report and inspection of the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre Summary: 1. This report considers the practical implications of implementing the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) in Victoria. It sets out: - practical changes needed to implement the OPCAT protocol - the results of a pilot OPCAT-style inspection at Victoria's main women's prison, the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre (DPFC). 2. OPCAT is an international human rights treaty that aims to prevent abuse of people in detention by opening places where people are deprived of liberty - prisons, police cells, psychiatric hospitals and so on - to regular independent inspections by: - a United Nations (UN) committee of international experts - local inspection bodies called National Preventative Mechanisms (NPMs). 3. In February 2017, the Commonwealth Government announced that Australia will ratify OPCAT by the end of 2017. 4. In Victoria, this means the Victorian Government will need to open places of detention to the UN committee from 2018. The Victorian Government will have three years to 'designate' or appoint one or more local NPMs to conduct regular inspections. 5. Implementing OPCAT will require changes. While Victoria already has human rights laws and monitoring bodies, OPCAT will introduce more rigorous standards for inspecting places of detention. 6. On 31 March 2017, the Ombudsman notified the Attorney-General, the Minister for Corrections and the Secretary of the Department of Justice and Regulation of her intention to conduct an 'own motion' investigation into the conditions in a custodial facility, with a view to contributing to the debate about OPCAT's implementation in Victoria. 7. The investigation mapped places of detention in Victoria, how they are monitored, and what needs to change to implement OPCAT. 8. The investigation also tested how OPCAT inspections work in practice by conducting a pilot inspection at DPFC using OPCAT standards where possible. Details: Melbourne: Victorian Ombudsman, 2017. 136p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 18, 2018 at: https://www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au/getattachment/432871e4-5653-4830-99be-8bb96c09b348 Year: 2017 Country: Australia URL: https://www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au/getattachment/432871e4-5653-4830-99be-8bb96c09b348 Shelf Number: 148864 Keywords: Female InmatesPrisonsPunishmentTortureWomen Prisoners |
Author: Muslim Hands United for the Needy Title: (In)visibility: Female, Muslim, Imprisoned Summary: The voices of female Muslim prisoners are unheard in policy, communities and research. The purpose of this research is to bring those voices to the forefront and address the often-overlooked intersectionality of gender, ethnicity and faith. This report uses empirical data from interviews and focus groups with female Muslims in prison to identify distinct needs and experiences as well as similarities to the general female prison population. Recommendations have been made to the Ministry of Justice and Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service to better understand intersecting inequalities and the impact they could be having on someone's resettlement, as well as recommendations to communities, to work towards ending stigma, increasing support and challenging negative stereotypes for female Muslims in prison. Details: Nottingham, UK: Muslim Hands, 2018. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 26, 2018 at: https://muslimhands.org.uk/_ui/uploads/lk2ki4/(In)Visibility_Web.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://muslimhands.org.uk/_ui/uploads/lk2ki4/(In)Visibility_Web.pdf Shelf Number: 149234 Keywords: DiscriminationFemale InmatesFemale PrisonersMuslim PrisonersMuslims |
Author: Owen, Barbara Title: Critical Issues Impacting Women in the Justice System: A Literature Review Summary: Passed in 2003, the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) serves as the framework for collecting descriptive data, improving policy and practice, and developing standards surrounding sexual violence in all correctional facilities. Over a decade later, practitioners and researchers alike acknowledge that implementing the Act should recognize that gender differences between female and male inmates require specific attention to female facilities. The 2012 Report of Review Panel on Prison Rape confirms the distinctive needs of female facilities in preventing sexual victimization with this statement: The Panel is aware of the paucity of resources that are available to female correctional facilities when it comes to serving the particular needs of female offenders. The Panel encourages additional research into ways of creating healthy female prisons based on data that show the relationship between institutional practices (e.g., policies on touching between inmates) and the incidence of sexual victimization. The Panel also encourages the development of training tools especially tailored to helping staff who work in female facilities in addressing such issues as maintaining proper professional boundaries and creating an environment free of verbal harassment (Mazza, 2012, p. 60). This summary literature review is but one step in the development of these training tools. In the following, we review the literature relevant to the study of violence and safety in women's prison. We begin with the demographic and background characteristics of female offenders. The pathways model is then described, which emphasizes the life experiences of women that contribute to criminal behavior. This review will then describe the subcultural elements of women's prisons that influence vulnerabilities, victimization, and violence. The types and prevalence of violence in women's prisons, particularly sexual assault, are also summarized. A summary of the National Inmate Survey, a PREA-mandated data collection that measures inmate self-reports is provided. This review then provides a summary of recent research by the authors that examines the context of gendered violence and safety in women's correctional facilities and results from a project that sought to validate an instrument intended to measure women's perceptions of safety and violence. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. National Institute of Corrections, 2014. 63p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed April 2, 2018 at: https://nicic.gov/sites/default/files/033010.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://nicic.gov/sites/default/files/033010.pdf Shelf Number: 149651 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale OffendersGender-Related IssuesPrison AdministrationPrison RapePrison ViolenceWomen Offender |
Author: Centre for Social Justice Title: A Woman-Centred Approach: Freeing vulnerable women from the revolving door of crime Summary: Much of our female prison population can be traced to state failure and social breakdown. Successive governments have failed to firmly grip the issue of female offending. It is the sort of social problem that a government committed to reform can and should tackle. As many other report authors - including Baroness Corston - have concluded: there is a way forward. However, it will take a clear commitment from the current Government, future governments, and Parliament if real progress is to be made. The remedies and proposals that we set out do not need huge new funding commitments, nor significant new legislation. They are, rather, a question of political will. An exclusive survey of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) conducted by the CSJ for this report establishes that there is real appetite for taking a new approach to female offenders among this group of locally elected criminal justice leaders: - 81 per cent of PCCs recognise there is clear evidence in favour of trauma-informed and gender-specific programmes in criminal justice; - 89 per cent of PCCs believe they have a pivotal role to play in transforming the approaches to female offenders and reducing recidivism; - 74 per cent of PCCs believe that the Government's Female Offender Strategy should allow for PCCs to take greater ownership of the female offender cohort; - 74 per cent of PCCs believe that they could commission better services for female offenders and those at risk of offending than the centre; and - 93 per cent of PCCs believe they could help leverage other funding sources and convene partners to help improve outcomes for the female offender cohort. Building on the results of the survey, we call on Government to adopt ten key recommendations to help transform the approach to women offenders, to improve outcomes, reduce crime and improve community safety. - Recommendation 1: Government should create a new Criminal Justice Transformation Fund for Women, recognising the need to develop a funding pool against which Police and Crime Commissioners can seek capital and revenue funding to support the provision of high quality community-based services for women at risk of offending. - Recommendation 2: Government should suspend plans for Community Prisons for Women and allocate the $50 million capital expenditure to the Criminal Justice Transformation Fund, to support the development of capacity and infrastructure for women in the community - Recommendation 3: Government should redirect a sum equivalent to the Core Allowance of Universal Credit into the Transformation Fund for Women, creating almost $15 million of additional annual funding. This should be used to support high quality community based-programmes, helping move women offenders and women at risk of offending away from crime and dependency towards employment and independence. - Recommendation 4: Government should commit to ensure that as the women's prison population declines and cost-savings are realised, 50 per cent of those savings should be allocated to the Justice Reinvestment component of the Criminal Justice Transformation Fund for Women. - Recommendation 5: Government should encourage PCCs and the philanthropic sector to leverage other funds at a local level. Government should implement an evaluation of the Fund and conduct a Feasibility Study to consider the potential for the Fund to be outcome-based, helping leverage additional social funding and promoting the more effective use of limited resources. - Recommendation 6: Police and Crime Commissioners, working with local Women's Centres and other partners, should develop a package of accommodation, monitoring, supervision and rehabilitation measures that can be attached to Community and Suspended Sentence Orders. This would provide sentencers with a credible and evidenced alternative option for offenders, helping prevent unnecessary imprisonment of female offenders and achieving better outcomes. - Recommendation 7: Government should ensure that the National Probation Service is placed under a positive obligation to understand the range of services available locally for women offenders and ensure that, in relation to female offenders, reasons why referral to such services would or would not be appropriate should be provided to sentencers. - Recommendation 8: Government should build on our proposals with pilots for problem-solving courts - making use of judicial monitoring - to focus and drive improved outcomes in relation to drug-addicted female offenders. Government should also welcome applications from PCCs to pilot services for female offenders that could replace the current CRC provision for female offenders. - Recommendation 9: Government should ensure that every woman with an identified financial need should leave prison with access to a minimum of the Core Allowance of Universal Credit, helping reduce crime and reinforcing the pro-social expectation of resettlement into the community. Details: London: Centre for Social Justice, 2018. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 9, 2018 at: https://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/core/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/A_Woman-Centred_Approach_CSJ_web.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/core/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/A_Woman-Centred_Approach_CSJ_web.pdf Shelf Number: 149733 Keywords: Criminal CareersFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersWomen Offenders |
Author: INQUEST Title: Still Dying on the Inside: Examining deaths in women's prisons Summary: Emily Hartley, aged 21, was the youngest of 22 women to die in prison in 2016, the year that saw the highest annual number of deaths in women's prisons on record. Emily was imprisoned for arson, having set fire to herself, her bed and curtains. She had a history of serious mental ill-health including self-harm, suicide attempts and drug addiction. This was Emily's first time in prison. A prison that could not keep her safe. A sentence that cost her life. On 1st February 2018 the inquest investigating Emily's self-inflicted death concluded with deeply critical findings about her care and the failure to transfer her to a therapeutic setting. What made her premature and preventable death all the more shocking is that ten years to the day of Emily's inquest, the same coroner had dealt with a strikingly similar death, that of Petra Blanksby. Nineteen year-old Petra was imprisoned for an arson offence, having set fire to her bedroom in an attempt to take her own life. Two women, ten years apart, criminalised for being mentally unwell. Petra too, had a history of mental ill health and suicide attempts. At the end of her inquest in 2008, the coroner recommended to the Prison Service and Department of Health they should deal with the lack of secure therapeutic facilities outside prison. At the conclusion of Emily's inquest, the same coroner David Hinchliff wrote: "I repeat ten years later that the Prison's Department and the Department of Health should conduct a collaborative exercise to achieve the provision of suitable, secure, therapeutic environments in order to treat those with mental health problems". Eleven years after the publication of Baroness Corston's seminal review in 2007 of women in the criminal justice system, the situation has never felt so desperate. It is with anger, sadness and deep frustration that we report almost no progress on the necessary systemic and structural change needed. Ninety-three women have died in women's prisons since March 2007. The casework team at INQUEST continue to support families whose daughters, sisters, mothers, aunts and grandmothers have died. The harms of imprisonment follow women back into the community, as demonstrated by the fact that 116 women died after release from prison between 2010 and 2017. INQUEST's work with bereaved families seeks to make visible the women behind the statistics and the structural issues behind their criminalisation and imprisonment. We seek to show the human face of this pernicious social problem, because so many of these deaths are preventable. They raise profound concerns about human rights violations - not only the failure to provide a safe and dignified environment, but also the failure to act to prevent further deaths, an aspiration that unites all bereaved families. The women's names memorialised in this report are a stark reminder of the tragic human consequences of the failure of successive governments to take seriously the needs of women experiencing a range of health, economic and social inequalities. They also speak to institutional state violence and how our prisons today systematically generate pain and suffering and how they can lead to death. This report provides unique insight into deaths in women's prisons. It is empirically grounded in (1) an examination of official data; (2) INQUEST's original research and casework; and (3) an analysis of coroners' 'Prevention of Future Death' reports and narrative jury findings. This evidence has been strengthened by the facilitation of families' legal representation and the more effective participation of the bereaved. This has led to more searching questions at inquests and has shone a light on the shocking reality of women's experiences in the criminal justice system. Details: London: INQUEST, 2018. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 8, 2018 at: https://www.inquest.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=8d39dc1d-02f7-48eb-b9ac-2c063d01656a Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.inquest.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=8d39dc1d-02f7-48eb-b9ac-2c063d01656a Shelf Number: 150106 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyFemale InmatesFemale PrisonersMental Health ServicesPrison Suicides |
Author: Stone, Una B. Title: I'm still your mum: mothering inside and outside prison Summary: In Victoria over the last decade, the rate of female incarceration has continued to rise. This is despite some attempts by government to address recidivism through gender responsive policies and programs. Of specific concern is that the majority of women prisoners are primary carers for their children. Hence, their incarceration splinters the family unit and can perpetuate the intergenerational cycle of offending. This thesis studies the impact of maternal incarceration and the issues associated with reunification of the mother and her children. In particular it examines the issues which mothers face in mothering, both inside and outside prison. The information was gathered from the perspective of those professionals who support mothers with lived prison experience. It examines the daily challenges they face in supporting these mothers. Using purposive sampling, six professionals were selected for interview. Standpoint feminism underpins the research because it is concerned with facilitating change to address political and social structural disadvantage. Labelling theory was also incorporated as it is an important theoretical consideration when examining discrimination of women with lived prison experience. This research demonstrates the multiple marginalisations of mothers in the criminal justice system. It also highlights the limited services available to them inside and outside prison, inadequate funding for services and inexperienced case managers both inside and outside prison. The research shows that little has changed in almost fifty years; the typical profile of the mothers' show they still come from backgrounds characterised by disadvantage (such as poverty, homelessness, and physical abuse) and their offences are mostly non-violent. Furthermore, core problems that mothers face in regaining custody of their children remain the same, which invariably results in a failure for many of them to regain custody. Recommendations from this research include abolishing short custodial sentences, housing prioritisation for mothers exiting prison, and policy reform to prioritise funding for drug rehabilitation services both inside prison and in the community to ensure continuity of support post-release. Details: Melbourne: RMIT University, 2013. 171p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed May 9, 2018 at: https://researchbank.rmit.edu.au/view/rmit:160547 Year: 2013 Country: Australia URL: https://researchbank.rmit.edu.au/view/rmit:160547 Shelf Number: 150115 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFemale InmatesFemale PrisonersMothers in Prison |
Author: Linder, Lindsey Title: An Unsupported Population: The Treatment of Women in Texas' Criminal Justice System Summary: In 2014, the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition sent surveys to 1,600 women incarcerated in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ).1 Over 430 women completed the survey, which included questions about prior victimization, substance abuse, mental health issues, motherhood, and services and safety within TDCJ. While we provided preliminary findings to legislators and the public, we are now excited to offer more insight from the brave system-involved women who shared their experiences with us. We partnered with Dr. Andrea Button of Midwestern State University to analyze the survey responses and identify themes among those responses. The most common pre-incarceration themes show that life for many of these women included poverty (in childhood and while as an adult), substance abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault - all drivers into incarceration. Histories of trauma and attempts to selfmedicate due to trauma were common themes. Another prominent theme was limited family communication options within TDCJ. Many respondents also reported having a sense of dread about reentering the community with a criminal record and without employment. Concerns about recidivism were common, as was a sense of learned helplessness. As this likely constitutes the largest-ever survey of women incarcerated in Texas, these results are illuminating and they deserve the attention of agency staff, corrections system practitioners, and policy-makers. It should be acknowledged that there are shortcomings in our survey methodology, particularly with regards to sharing the voices of transgender women. Surveys were sent only to women's prison facilities, failing to account for transgender women who may be incarcerated in men's prison facilities or transgender men who may be incarcerated in women's prison facilities. The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition is hoping to release a separate report, including survey data, that will focus on the challenges LGBTQ people face in Texas' criminal justice system, including the experiences of transgender women. Details: Austin, TX: Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, 2018. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 11, 2018 at: https://www.texascjc.org/sites/default/files/publications/TCJC-Womens-Part-2.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://www.texascjc.org/sites/default/files/publications/TCJC-Womens-Part-2.pdf Shelf Number: 150160 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersGender-Responsive ProgramsWomen Offenders |
Author: Kajstura, Aleks Title: Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2018 Summary: With growing public attention to the problem of mass incarceration, people want to know about women's experience with incarceration. How many women are held in prisons, jails, and other correctional facilities in the United States? And why are they there? How is their experience different from men's? While these are important questions, finding those answers requires not only disentangling the countrys decentralized and overlapping criminal justice systems, but also unearthing the frustratingly hard to find and often altogether missing data on gender. This report provides a detailed view of the 219,000 women incarcerated in the United States, and how they fit into the even broader picture of correctional control. This 2018 update to our inaugural Women's Whole Pie report pulls together data from a number of government agencies and calculates the breakdown of women held by each correctional system by specific offense. The report, produced in collaboration with the ACLU's Campaign for Smart Justice, answers the questions of why and where women are locked up. Details: Northampton, MA: Prison Policy Initiative, 2018. 6p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 12, 2019 at: https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2018women.html Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2018/11/13/mass-incarceration-women-2018/ Shelf Number: 154084 Keywords: Campaign for Smart JusticeCorrectional InstitutionsFemale InmatesFemale OffendersJailsMass IncarcerationPrison Policy InitiativePrisonsWomen Prisons |
Author: Reichert, Jessica Title: Co-occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders of Women in Prison: An Evaluation of the WestCare Foundations Dual Diagnosis Program in Illinois Summary: Co-occurring disorders (COD) - both substance use disorders (SUD) and mental health disorders (MHD)affect many women incarcerated in prison. Incarcerated women are diagnosed with COD more often than their male counterparts (BJS, 2017). This is due in part to risk factors such as childhood sexual abuse, physical abuse, and domestic violence that occur more often to women offenders and make them more likely to be diagnosed COD in their lifetime. To address the needs of women in prison with COD, evidence-based programming underpinned by principles of trauma-informed and gender-responsive frameworks are needed. Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) researchers conducted a process evaluation of the Dual Diagnosis treatment program operated by WestCare Foundation at Logan Correctional Center for women in Illinois. A process evaluation is intended to document how the program is currently implemented in relation to the original program design and promising or evidence-based practices. This report offers findings from that evaluation. Researchers specifically sought to learn how the program operated, about clients and their views on the program, and staff perceptions of the program. Specifically, the research team worked to answer the following research questions: - How did the program operate? - Who were the clients? - What did the clients and staff think of the program? - To what extent did the program reduce PTSD symptoms? - To what extent did the program reduce aggression? Details: Chicago, IL: Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, 2018. 53p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 18, 2019 at: http://www.icjia.state.il.us/assets/articles/Co-occuring_mental_health_and_substance_use_disorders_of_women_in_prison_FULL_REPORT_100318.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: http://www.icjia.state.il.us/assets/articles/Co-occuring_mental_health_and_substance_use_disorders_of_women_in_prison_FULL_REPORT_100318.pdf Shelf Number: 155026 Keywords: Co-occurring disordersDrug AddictionDual DiagnosisFemale InmatesMentally Ill InmatesSubstance Abuse OffendersSubstance Abuse Treatment |