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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
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Results for female prisoners
72 results foundAuthor: World Health Organization Title: Women's Health in Prison: Correcting Gender Inequity in Prison Health Summary: This document combines shared experience with expert advice to produce guidance for countries wishing to improve health care and circumstances in their prisons and, in particular, to develop their role in preventing the spread of disease. The network aims to maximize an important opportunity for promoting health in a marginalized group and contributing to general public health in their communities. Details: Vienna, Switzerland: 2009 Source: Year: 2009 Country: Switzerland URL: Shelf Number: 115362 Keywords: Correctional InstitutionsFemale PrisonersHealth Care |
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: Bartels, Lorana Title: Diversion Programs for Indigenous Women Summary: This paper presents a brief overview of the key diversion programs for Indigenous women currently in operation in Australia, with reference to relevant developments in New Zealand and Canada. It was prepared against the background of recent research on Indigenous women’s offending patterns and their over-representation in the criminal justice system, which included the following key findings: • analysis of data from New South Wales, the Northern Territory and South Australia indicated that Indigenous women are between nine and 16 times more likely to offend than their non-Indigenous counterparts; this is a much greater over-representation than for men (8–10 times more likely); • 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; and • Indigenous women are more likely than non-Indigenous women to be on remand. According to the most recent data by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS 2010), there were, on average, 663 full-time adult female Indigenous prisoners in Australia in the June 2010 quarter, comprising 30 percent of the full-time adult female prison population. By way of comparison, there were 6,984 adult male Indigenous prisoners, comprising 26 percent of the adult male prison population. Although the numbers of Indigenous women in prison are clearly much smaller than for their male counterparts, they are over-represented to a greater extent. The imprisonment rate for adult Indigenous women was 394 per 100,000, having risen by 14 percent from 346 in 2006, compared with 25 for the general adult female population. The rates for the Indigenous male and general male populations in the June 2010 quarter were 4,337 and 321 respectively (ABS 2010). Indigenous women are therefore 16 times more likely to be imprisoned than the general adult female population, compared with 14 times for Indigenous men. It appears that very little has been written—and indeed done — on diversion in relation to Indigenous status and women; most of the literature focuses on one aspect or the other. For example, an examination published by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) on the impact of pre-court diversion in the Northern Territory on juvenile offending provided a breakdown by gender and Indigenous status, but no breakdown on the basis of both. In addition, where such programs exist, there is little evidence of their effectiveness and a lack of comprehensive independent evaluation. More must be done, therefore, to disseminate information about the programs currently in place and wherever possible, to evaluate such programs. Notwithstanding the dearth of evaluative evidence demonstrating the efficacy of the diversion programs, the emerging evidence base, coupled with the overwhelming — and steadily rising —over-representation of Indigenous women in the prison population indicates there is a need for further development and funding of programs that can assist in diverting more Indigenous women from the prison system specifically and the criminal justice system more generally. Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2010. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Research in Practice Report, No. 13: Accessed March 14, 2011 at: http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/E/C/7/%7BEC7ECE38-209C-4FAA-876A-246D2F6A5DCF%7Drip13.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Australia URL: http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/E/C/7/%7BEC7ECE38-209C-4FAA-876A-246D2F6A5DCF%7Drip13.pdf Shelf Number: 121003 Keywords: Alternatives to IncarcerationDiversionFemale Offenders (Australia)Female PrisonersIndigenous Peoples |
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: Oklahoma Department of Corrections Title: Managing Increasing Female Inmate Populations Summary: Rates of growth of female inmate populations have generated considerable attention and concern as correctional officials consider appropriate, gender-specific responses in the U.S. and in Oklahoma, which leads the nation in female incarceration rate. Research and practice have detailed that, as Oklahoma and other states attempt to deal effectively with their increasing incarcerated female populations, they will have to deal with the unique as well as more familiar paths leading to female incarceration. In addition, if reentry is to be successful, they will have to face and overcome obstacles regarding (1) treatment for substance abuse problems; (2) health care; (3) mental health issues; (4) violence prevention and post-traumatic stress disorder; (5) educational and employment services; (6) safe, secure, affordable housing; and (7) child advocacy and family reunification. This will likely involve more use of assessment instruments, such as the LSI-R and gender-validated tools, as well as more focused programs and priorities, including family impact statements, therapeutic communities, intensive gender-based case management, certificates of employability, and specific female-oriented research agendas and products. Details: Oklahoma City, OK: Oklahoma Department of Corrections, 2008. 10p. Source: Internet Resource: DOC White Paper: Accessed April 27, 2011 at: http://www.doc.state.ok.us/adminservices/ea/Female%20Inmate%20Paper.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://www.doc.state.ok.us/adminservices/ea/Female%20Inmate%20Paper.pdf Shelf Number: 121515 Keywords: Female Inmates (Oklahoma)Female PrisonersGender-Specific Responses |
Author: Power, Jenelle Title: A Qualitative Study of Self-Injurious Behaviour in Women Offenders Summary: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) may be defined as the deliberate destruction of body tissue without suicidal intent and for purposes not socially sanctioned and may include behaviours such as cutting, ligature use, burning, hitting, swallowing sharp or indigestible objects, inserting and removing objects, and head banging. NSSI poses a serious threat to the safety and well-being of offenders and staff within the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC). To more effectively treat and prevent NSSI in offenders, a greater understanding of the origins and motivations of NSSI is required. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to analyse the motivations and emotions associated with engaging in NSSI as described by women offenders. Fifty-six federally sentenced women from seven institutions participated in semi-structured interviews that were designed to assess their history of non-suicidal self-injury. Of the 56 women who participated in the study and had a history NSSI, 54 provided at least one reason for engaging in this behaviour. The most common reason provided by the women was to cope with their negative emotions. The second most common reason was to communicate with others about their problems and their need for care. Fifty-two women provided information on the emotions they experience before and after self-injuring. The most common emotions reported prior to engaging in NSSI were anger, depression, and anxiety. After self-injuring, women most commonly reported feelings of relief, followed by feelings of regret. Seventeen participants discussed the relationship between NSSI and substance abuse, despite the fact that substance abuse was not part of the original interview protocol. Ten of these 17 indicated that they were consuming drugs or alcohol while involved in an act of NSSI or that substance abuse increased the frequency of NSSI, while seven of these women reported that substance abuse actually decreased the frequency of NSSI or that they used drugs or alcohol as a substitute for NSSI. The issue of coping strategies or alternatives to NSSI was spontaneously discussed by the participating women in many interviews and, over time, the interviewers began to specifically probe participants about this topic. Twenty-four participants reported that they had begun using coping strategies other than NSSI to help them deal with stress or negative emotions. The most commonly reported coping strategies were appropriate release of emotions, relaxation techniques and distraction techniques such as reading, exercising, and creating artwork. The current study improves the current understanding of NSSI, particularly among federally sentenced women. Since the women most commonly reported engaging in NSSI as a method of coping, interventions could explore methods of teaching alternative copying strategies to a wider population of federally sentenced women. Details: Ottawa: Correctional Services of Canada, Research Branch, 2010. 55p. Source: Internet Resource: No. R-225: Accessed September 3, 2011 at: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rsrch/reports/r225/r225-eng.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Canada URL: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rsrch/reports/r225/r225-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 122629 Keywords: Female Inmates (Canada)Female PrisonersInmates, Mental HealthInmates, Self-InjurySelf-Mutilation |
Author: Olson, David E. Title: An Examination of Admissions, Exits and End-of-the-Year Populations of Adult Female Inmates in the Illinois Department of Corrections, State Fiscal Years 1989 - 2010 Summary: Through analyses of existing data collected by the Illinois Department of Corrections, and Illinois criminal history record information (CHRI) supplied by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, a team of faculty at Loyola University Chicago examined trends and characteristics of adult female admissions to, exits from, and end of state fiscal year (SFY) prison populations in Illinois between SFY 1989 and SFY 2010. Based on these analyses, the following conclusions were reached: 1) A dramatic increase in admissions to prison, as well as prison exits and end of the year prison populations, of adult females was seen in Illinois between SFY 1989 and 2005, primarily fueled by increased admissions for drug-law violations; 2) The proportion of prison total admissions accounted for by females increased from less than 7 percent in SFY 1989 to a peak of 13.8 percent in SFY 2005, before falling back to 8.6 percent of admissions in SFY 2010. Similarly, the percent of the end of the fiscal year prison population accounted for by females increased from 4.3 percent in SFY 1989 to 6.3 percent in SFY 2005 and 6.1 percent in SFY 2010; 3) From SFY 1989 to 1999, female court admissions for drug delivery/sale increased dramatically and outnumbered admissions for drug possession, before decreasing consistently through SFY 2010; 4) Court admissions of females for drug possession increased consistently between SFY 1989 and 2005, and outnumbered sentences for drug sale/delivery since SFY 2000, but females sentenced to prison for drug possession decreased dramatically since SFY 2005; 5) Throughout the entire period included in the analyses, the majority of females sentenced to prison were convicted of the least serious felony classes of crimes (Class 3 and 4 felonies), peaking in SFY 2005 when roughly three-quarters of all females sentenced to prison in Illinois were convicted of a Class 3 or 4 felony; 6) Between SFY 1998 and 2001, the number and proportion of total female prison admissions accounted for by parole violators increased dramatically, as was the case with male prison admissions. However, between SFY 2001 and 2008, females returned to prison as parole violators decreased both in sheer number and as a proportion of total female admissions to prison; 7) During the time period examined, the age of females sentenced to prison in Illinois has been increasing. Among females sentenced to IDOC in SFY 1989, more than 80 percent were under 36 years old, but by SFY 2010, only 51 percent were under 36. 8) An increasing proportion of women admitted to prison in Illinois had previously been sentenced to prison. Among women sentenced to prison in SFY 1989, less than 30 percent had previously been in prison; by SFY 2010, that proportion had increased to 45 percent; 9) As a result of changes in the types of crimes women have been sentenced to prison for, and a decrease in admissions from Cook County (Chicago) between SFY 2005 and 2010, the proportion of females sentenced to prison in Illinois accounted for by blacks has decreased, from more than 70 percent of all females sentenced to prison during the late 1990s to less than 50 percent among the SFY 2010 female court admissions. On the other hand, the proportion of female prison sentences accounted for by whites increased from roughly 20 percent in the mid- to late-1990s to almost 50 percent in SFY 2010; 10) There were a number of differences evident between the females and males admitted to prison in recent years, including women being slightly older than males, women being more likely to be a parent, women having slightly higher levels of educational achievement, and women being more likely than men to be sentenced and incarcerated in prison for less serious crime types and felony class offenses; 11) Females released from prison in Illinois tended to have lower recidivism rates than males, even after differences in offender characteristics and risk factors were taken into account. After roughly 3 years post-prison, 61 percent of women were rearrested for any new crime (compared to 70 percent among male releases), 15 percent of women were rearrested specifically for a crime of violence (compared to 31 percent of males), and 34 percent of women were returned to prison either as a result of a new prison sentence or violation of parole (compared to 51 percent of males). Details: Chicago: Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, 2011. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 3, 2011 at: http://www.icjia.state.il.us/public/pdf/ResearchReports/female_inmate_report_062011.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.icjia.state.il.us/public/pdf/ResearchReports/female_inmate_report_062011.pdf Shelf Number: 122632 Keywords: Female Inmates (Illinois)Female OffendersFemale Prisoners |
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: 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: 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: Barrett, Meredith Robeson Title: Twenty years later: Revisiting the Task Force on Federally Sentenced Women Summary: In 1989 a Task Force was established to review the Correctional Service of Canada’s approach to the management of women offenders in federal correctional facilities. As part of this, research was initiated to survey federal women offenders in order to examine their lives, needs and experiences before, during and after incarceration (Shaw, 1991). The results of this survey contributed significantly to Creating Choices, the groundbreaking report put forth by the Task Force, which suggested a number of recommendations that ultimately resulted in changes to the existing management practices concerning women offenders. It has been 20 years since this report launched CSC into reforming its approach to women’s corrections; given the passage of time and the noted improvements that have been made since, an update to the original 1989 survey was identified as a research priority. Accordingly, an updated version of the original survey was developed and distributed to all women’s correctional facilities. All women serving time in a federal women’s institution between October 2007 and January 2008 were invited to participate. Of the 520 women who were available to participate, 178 responded to the survey, representing 34% of the population of women incarcerated in Canada’s federal correctional system. Similar to the survey conducted in 1989, results provide a profile of the lives, experiences, and needs of federally incarcerated women. More specifically, results from the survey include information on physical and mental health, substance use, victimization, self harm, children and family, education and employment, recreation and exercise, relationships with staff and other women inmates, programming, and release. Additionally, results highlighted areas of women’s corrections that have improved, as well as areas that may still benefit from further development. Results were largely positive and revealed an overall improvement with regard to the management of federal women offenders since the original survey. Among other improvements, women reported positive offender-staff interactions, and an increase in the services and programs available to women was noted. Some results revealed areas were development could still be made, with women reporting a desire for increased access to health care services, more frequently run programs and additional contact with community supports and contacts to assist with the reintegration process. Overall, this study was successful in achieving its goal of providing an updated profile of the needs of federal women offenders in Canada. Additionally, it highlighted consistencies and differences between the original and current samples, as well as areas of women’s corrections that have been improved since the original survey and those areas that may benefit from future development. Future research may consider replicating the survey on specific offender sub-populations (e.g., Aboriginal, older women, women in the community). Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada, 2010. 144p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report 2010 N° R-222; Accesssed April 16, 2012 at: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rsrch/reports/r222/r222-eng.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Canada URL: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rsrch/reports/r222/r222-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 124986 Keywords: Female Inmates (Canada)Female OffendersFemale Prisoners |
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: Hedderman, Carol Title: Empty Cells or Empty Words? Government Policy on Reducing the Number of Women Going to Prison Summary: The current Conservative/Liberal Democrat government (U.K.) generally prides itself on the differences between its social policies and those of its Labour predecessor. However, one area of agreement seems to be a shared desire to see the number of women in prison fall. This is because much of the increase which has occurred over the last two decades appears to be the unintended consequence of other policies rather than a response to changes in the volume or seriousness of women’s offending. As prison is the most severe and the most expensive disposal a court can use, the only way such an increase could be justified is on the grounds of increased public protection. However, rising reconviction rates following short prison sentences suggest that this has not been the result. It is hard to see a drawback to using custody less for women. Unfortunately, while the current government has offered some, albeit reduced, support for the community-based services for women funded by its Labour predecessor, the Coalition seem to be operating on the assumption that offering sentencers better community alternatives will be sufficient to reduce their recourse to custody. This shows scant regard for the history of introducing new community alternatives for women or men. It also ignores evidence about the way sentencers think about the decision to use custody. In these circumstances, the prospects for making significant and lasting inroads into the use of prison for women remain bleak. This report begins by considering how the female prison population has increased, why this has happened and what the consequences have been. This is followed by a review of the way the Labour government sought to reduce the number of women going to prison and the very limited impact its policies had in practice. The report concludes by considering what the current government has achieved during its first two years in office; and what changes might be needed if the number of women entering prison is really to fall. Details: London: Criminal Justice Alliance, 2012. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 20, 2012 at: http://www.criminaljusticealliance.org/docs/CJA_WomenPrisonReportFINAL.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.criminaljusticealliance.org/docs/CJA_WomenPrisonReportFINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 125699 Keywords: Female Inmates (U.K.)Female OffendersFemale Prisoners |
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: Brennan, Tim Title: A Need/Risk Explanatory Classification of Female Prisoners Incorporating Gender-Neutral and Gender-Responsive Factors Summary: Correctional institutions must understand the women who enter their care if they are to achieve their key correctional goals. Assessment and classification are the main techniques used by correctional agencies to describe, understand, “name” and guide inmate management and treatment. Criminal justice institutions – like most people-processing bureaucracies –must first transform the unique “person” into a policy based category (e.g. minimum security) before any formal processing can begin (Prottas 1979; Litsky 1980). A major danger is that inadequate or oversimplified classification may produce systematic misunderstandings of women offenders that may lead to inappropriate processing and treatment of women offenders. Thus, there is much at stake in these classifications and the consequences of errors are damaging to both the detainee and the institution (Clear 1988; Blanchette and Brown 2006, Hardyman and VanVoorhis 2004; Brennan 1987b). Many aspects of the woman detainee’s life quality, e.g. housing placement, privileges, program eligibility, access to services and visitation arrangements all depend on classification decisions. It is thus disquieting that several recent reviews argue current classification procedures for women offenders lack adequate validity and are substantially misaligned with women’s needs and risks (Blanchette and Brown 2006, Hardyman and Van Voorhis 2004, Bloom 2000, Bloom et al., 2003; Reisig et al. 2006, Brennan 2008). The main criticisms include over-simplified and irrelevant risk and need factors, weak clinical guidance and poor predictive validity. Each of these deficiencies may produce systematic misclassification. Several research groups at both the State and National levels have called for more appropriate classifications for women offenders. The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) has mounted a multifaceted initiative on the classification of women offenders (Hardyman and Van Voorhis 2004, Wright et al 2007; Salisbury et al 2008). The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has established a Gender Responsive Strategies Commission (GRSC) to assist in developing a master plan for female offenders. One of their first tasks was to implement a gender-responsive classification for female offenders. In Canada substantial efforts have also focused on re-designing classification procedures for female offenders (e.g. Blanchette and Brown 2006; Hannah-Moffatt and Shaw 2001). At the core of these issues is the problem of misalignment of classification design with organizational purposes. Any confusion over the purposes of classification can result in classification systems being designed and implemented that are “misaligned” with correctional goals of an agency and thus incapable of achieving these goals (Hardyman and Van Voorhis 2004; Brennan 1987). Appropriate alignment means that the design features of the classification are well matched to, and can achieve the policy purposes of an agency (Walton 1980). Misalignment occurs when a correctional agency implements a poorly designed classification that has little chance of achieving the agencies purposes e.g. when an agency implements a predictive risk classification but then uses this for treatment decisions; or when the agency omits female relevant factors from it’s classification but uses this system to classify women detainees. In the present project we will design two separate classifications matched to two different purposes. One aims to optimize risk prediction for women inmates, the other aims to optimize explanatory power and treatment relevance for women prisoners. This paper focuses on the latter classification. Details: Golden, CO: Northpointe Institute for Public Management, 2008. 96p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 27, 2013 at: http://www.northpointeinc.com/files/research_documents/A_Need-Risk_Explanatory_Classification_of_Females.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://www.northpointeinc.com/files/research_documents/A_Need-Risk_Explanatory_Classification_of_Females.pdf Shelf Number: 127729 Keywords: Female Offenders (U.S.)Female PrisonersInmate ClassificationRisk Assessment |
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: 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: INQUEST Title: Preventing the Deaths of Women in Prison: The need for an alternative approach Summary: INQUEST’s monitoring of deaths in custody in England and Wales over the last 30 years has been central to the identification of emerging trends and patterns, including the sharply upward trend of women’s deaths in prison between 1998 and 2003. INQUEST’s specialist casework, research and evidence based policy work was critical in generating public and parliamentary debate on women’s deaths in prison and directly influenced the Government’s decision to commission Baroness Corston’s review1 following the deaths of 6 women at Styal prison in a twelve month period. INQUEST’s unique statistics, casework and research discussed in this report highlight the shared characteristics and experiences of the 100 women who have died in prison over the last decade (from 2002 to date) and focuses in particular on the 38 deaths that have occurred in the six years since the Corston report was published in March 2007. Behind these figures are stories of preventable tragedies. To develop a more in-depth understanding of the context in which the deaths of women occurred, and the special vulnerability of women in prison, this report contains the individual stories of six of the women who have died in prison since March 2007. Although there has more recently been a welcome fall in the number of deaths of women in prison, INQUEST’s casework and research shows that the underlying issues remain stubbornly familiar and go beyond the prison walls, regimes and conditions to which women are subjected. Rather, the roots of the problem are situated in the inequality and injustice that characterise women’s lives. Many of the deaths highlighted raise issues that should impact on wider policies on social exclusion and poverty, drug and alcohol use, homelessness, mental health, childcare and family disruption and racism.2 The government has not implemented the Corston report’s key recommendation – the dismantling of the women’s prison estate. As a result, there has been little structural change which would address the “sadly familiar patterns” in the deaths of women in prison that INQUEST and Baroness Corston have identified. Though the vulnerabilities and needs of women prisoners are well established, the criminal justice system continues to sentence them to custody in unsafe institutions that are ill equipped and under resourced to deal with their complex needs. The continuing, high levels of self harm and the deaths of 4 women in 2012 and 3 deaths in 20133 underline how harm, damage and death are persistent features of women’s experiences in prison. This report highlights the failure of the government to ensure fundamental changes to policy and practice following the Corston review and the inability of the prison estate to learn from previous investigations and inquests. In light of this, and in order to prevent further deaths, we make recommendations for a way forward including a complete rethink of the way women are treated in the criminal justice system. Details: London: INQUEST, 2013. 18p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 1, 2013 at: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/docs/ngos/INQUEST_UK_ForTheSession_UK_CEDAW55.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cedaw/docs/ngos/INQUEST_UK_ForTheSession_UK_CEDAW55.pdf Shelf Number: 129213 Keywords: Female Inmates (U.K.)Female PrisonersPrisoner Deaths |
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: 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 17, 2014 at: https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/worse_than_second-class.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/worse_than_second-class.pdf Shelf Number: 132384 Keywords: Female Inmates (U.S.)Female PrisonersIsolationSolitary Confinement |
Author: Turney, Kristin Title: Detrimental for Some? The Heterogeneous Effects of Maternal Incarceration on Child Wellbeing Summary: We use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 3,197) to consider the average and heterogeneous effects of maternal incarceration on nine-year-old children's internalizing problem behaviors, externalizing problem behaviors, PPVT scores, and early juvenile delinquency. We find that maternal incarceration has no average effect on measures of child wellbeing, consistent with previous research, but that effects are highly heterogeneous by the propensity to experience maternal incarceration. For children whose mothers are least likely to experience incarceration, the effects of maternal incarceration are pronounced, corresponding to between two-fifths and three-fifths of a standard deviation difference from their counterparts without incarcerated mothers. These findings suggest that the consequences of maternal incarceration vary substantially across social contexts. Details: Princeton, NJ: Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, Princeton University,, 2014. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 3, 2014 at: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP14-02-FF.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP14-02-FF.pdf Shelf Number: 132618 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFemale PrisonersJuvenile DelinquencyMothering |
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: Loucks, Nancy Title: Evaluation of the 218 Centre Summary: One of the most striking penal phenomena in Scotland during the last decade has been the steady increase in the numbers of women in custody. This, combined with a series of suicides at Scotland's only prison for women, HMP and YOI Cornton Vale, resulted in a wide-ranging review of the use of imprisonment and non-custodial sentences for female offenders. The review concluded that the backgrounds of women who offend and the circumstances which lead to their offending meant that prison was, for the most part, an inappropriate and potentially damaging disposal for this group. It produced a number of recommendations aimed at keeping women out of prison where possible and at improving the conditions for those who were, by necessity, detained. An Inter-Agency Forum was set up to establish services for women in the criminal justice system. The Inter-Agency Forum recommended, among other things, the creation of 'Time Out' Centres to provide residential and non-residential support services for women. The theory was that female offenders should be able to get 'time out' of their normal (chaotic) environment without resorting to 'time in' custody, where many of them were being placed. The work of the Forum was subsequently taken forward by The Ministerial Working Group on Women's Offending. The 'Time Out' Centre, or 218 as it is now called, was established in August 2003 with funding from the Scottish Executive and opened its doors to women in December 2003. The research summarised here evaluated the initial stages of 218. The aims of the research were to: - evaluate the operation and effectiveness of 218; - highlight examples of good practice and identify areas for improvement; - determine the extent to which addiction and offending can be addressed together; - assess the success of 218 in linking women into mainstream services on departure; - assess and determine the effectiveness of the Centre in relation to costs, outcomes and overall effectiveness in achieving its stated objectives. The evaluation was conducted through an analysis of material from documents and project records; focus groups and individual interviews with service users; and interviews with project staff and key stakeholders, with interviews repeated after one year where possible. In total 5 focus groups and 66 individual interviews were conducted with service users. Twenty-four interviews were conducted with staff at 218, and an additional 80 interviews were conducted with key stakeholders. Details: Edinburgh: Scottish Executive Justice Department, 2006. 100p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 1, 2014 at: http://www.sccjr.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/Evaluation_of_the_218_Centre.pdf Year: 2006 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.sccjr.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/Evaluation_of_the_218_Centre.pdf Shelf Number: 133524 Keywords: Alternatives to IncarcerationFemale Offenders (Scotland)Female Prisoners |
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: Beer, Marit de Title: Locked up in the tropics: Coping strategies among female prisoners of the State Prison of Bahia, Brazil Summary: The social position of many Bahian women is characterized by poverty, inequality, discrimination and marginalization. This 'second class citizenship' is the reason these women are more likely to commit a crime, as well as being sentenced to prison for it. In prison, their inferior social position is reconfirmed by harsh living conditions, the absence of facilities, weak legal assistance and ongoing discrimination by prison staff, family, and other citizens. My research showed that very low self-esteem among the female inmates has become the resulting leading thread which determines their capacity to cope with the stresses of prison life. How the prisoners of the Conjunto Penal Feminino in Salvador (Bahia, Brazil) dealt with their problems depended, on the one hand, on the changeability of the stressor and is, on the other hand, influenced by their personal life experiences. Good rehabilitation programs appeared to be absent at the Conjunto Penal Feminino da Bahia, where education and work have actually proven to be very important factors in lifting the prisoners' self-esteem and creating future possibilities for them. This is increasing the risk of reoffending and, again, confirms the women's status as 'incomplete' citizen. This way, a vicious circle is set into motion that is difficult to interrupt. Institutional coping strategies is what can, and should be improved by the Conjunto Penal Feminino da Bahia. Details: Utrecht: Utrecht University, 2010. 79p. Source: Internet Resource: Master's Essay: Accessed February 18, 2015 at: http://dspace.library.uu.nl/bitstream/handle/1874/198753/Beer,%20M.%20de%20-%20Locked%20up%20in%20the%20tropics.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2010 Country: Brazil URL: http://dspace.library.uu.nl/bitstream/handle/1874/198753/Beer,%20M.%20de%20-%20Locked%20up%20in%20the%20tropics.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 134644 Keywords: Female Inmates (Brazil)Female OffendersFemale PrisonersPrisons |
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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Mc Hugh, Rosemarie Title: Tracking the Needs and Service Provision for Women Ex-Prisoners Summary: This paper presents the findings of research conducted with female prisoners serving short sentences in the Dochas Centre. The research focussed in particular on the needs of this cohort of women upon leaving prison. 16 women were interviewed within the Dochas Centre; the study was primarily a qualitative one which aimed to understand the subjective experiences of the women and communicate their stories by giving primacy to the women's own 'voices'. Findings While each individual woman's story is unique there were significant patterns across the group. The profile of the group and the women's individual recounts of their life histories and experiences demonstrate a high incidence of deprivation, disadvantage, vulnerability and marginalisation. In this study this marginalisation was characterised by some or more of the following - unstable family backgrounds, care outside the home, homelessness, poor schooling, early engagement with the criminal justice system, childhood sexual abuse, intimate partner abuse, other sexual and physical abuse, little or no employment history, substance abuse, inability to care for their children, hospitalisation and treatment units, and significant mental and emotional health needs. The majority of women had little or no formal educational qualifications and little or no histories of employment, with social welfare being the main source of income for the vast majority of women. 14 of the 16 women had experienced homelessness at some point in their lives with the vast majority experiencing repeat incidences of homelessness. 13 of the 16 women had a substance abuse problem at some stage in their lives, often commencing at an early age, with many having long term substance abuse problems. Three quarters of the women had experienced violence or abuse of some form either as a child or as an adult, with three quarters of these, in turn, experiencing repeat victimisation. The women also revealed significant mental and emotional health needs including a high incidence of depression. This study also found that these women demonstrated a resource-poor network. This was demonstrable within the women's stories by the low level of contact with family members and the low volume, frequency and expectation of visits while imprisoned. It was also demonstrable in the lack of knowledge of supports available within the community and the fact that many referred to learning about available services and feeling more supported within the prison. Many of the women had extensive engagement with the criminal justice system from an early age and over a long period of time. However, the majority of crimes were low level addiction related crimes - theft, public order and drug offences. The majority identified themselves primarily as addicts as opposed to offenders and described their offending histories as inherently tied to their addictions, suggesting a sense of control over their offending but not their substance abuse. The culmination of the above means that the needs of the majority of these women, whether in prison or in the community, were multiple, complex and highly intertwined. Thus, their post release needs are extensive and challenging. The study suggests that we may need to reconceptualise what can, or should be, expected in terms of individual desistance from these women, who have been cycling in and out of criminal justice involvement from an early age, often with significant substance abuse problems, high incidences of trauma and victimisation and considerable mental and emotional health needs. It also poses questions, based on the women's own understanding and experiences, as to the adequacy of supports and services available to these women within the community. The findings of this study also align with international research that both the triggers of female offending and the post release needs are extremely different for female offenders compared to that of their male counterparts and further emphasises the need for a gender specific approach. Details: Dublin: Association for Criminal Justice Research and Development, 2013. 43p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 25, 2016 at: http://www.acjrd.ie/files/Tracking_the_needs_and_service_provision_for_women_ex-prisoners_-_Final.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Ireland URL: http://www.acjrd.ie/files/Tracking_the_needs_and_service_provision_for_women_ex-prisoners_-_Final.pdf Shelf Number: 137969 Keywords: Female Ex-OffendersFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersGender Specific ResponsesPrisoner Reentry |
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: 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: Bagaric, Mirko Title: Mitigating the Crime that is the Over-Imprisonment of Women: Why Orange Should Not Be the New Black Summary: Most criminal acts are performed by men. Moreover, with only a hint of exaggeration, women never commit the most heinous types of offenses. Males commit the vast majority of murders and approximately one hundred percent of all rapes. Further, women re-offend less frequently and imprisoning women normally has a more harmful effect on their dependents than does incarcerating men. Women suffer more while in prison. Female inmates have higher rates of mental illness and are more likely to be sexually assaulted while in prison than men. A staggering high level of female offenders have also been the subject of child sexual abuse, making it more likely that they will commit crime. Yet we still have vast and expensive institutions, in the form of prisons, exclusively established for the sole purpose of imprisoning women. It is a categorical policy disfigurement that women in their hundreds of thousands are subjected to the oppressive sanction regime that should be reserved for criminals who commit the most serious of deprived acts. In this Article we propose a fundamental change to the manner in which women are dealt with by the criminal justice system. The default position is that no woman should be imprisoned. The number of female prisoners and prisons should be massively reduced. Most female inmates would not be imprisoned in the first place pursuant to a fair and efficient sentencing system. Many female inmates could be dealt with by less harmful and expensive sanctions, such as probation and fines. Implementation of these reforms would have no adverse impact on community safety. It will enhance the normative integrity of the criminal justice system and greatly reduce the fiscal burden of the sentencing system to the taxpayer. The fact that women behave differently when it comes to crime and gender difference in sentencing has been the subject of previous analysis. This Article adds to the literature because it proposes concrete reforms which will dramatically reduce women prison numbers. The approach in this Article is also novel because it extrapolates the normative and empirical rationales justifying less serve penalties for female offenders to male offenders, resulting in recommendations which will also considerably reduce male imprisonment numbers. Details: Geelong, Australia: Deakin Law School, 2016. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Deakin Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series Paper no. 16-16: Accessed May 18, 2016 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2773341 Year: 2016 Country: International URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2773341 Shelf Number: 139066 Keywords: Female Inmates Female Offenders Female Prisoners |
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: 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: 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: Walmsley, Roy Title: World Female Imprisonment List (fourth edition) Summary: More than 714,000 women and girls are held in penal institutions throughout the world, according to the fourth edition of the World Female Imprisonment List, researched and compiled by Roy Walmsley and published by the Institute for Criminal Policy Research at Birkbeck, University of London. The analysis indicates that female prison population levels have grown much faster than male prison population levels since around the year 2000, with the number of women and girls in prison increasing by more than 50% while the male population has increased by around 20%. For almost all countries across the globe, the List provides information on the total numbers of women and girls in prison, the percentage of the total prison population they comprise and the number of imprisoned women and girls per 100,000 of the national population. It also includes information about trends in female imprisonment. It shows that more than 200,000 imprisoned women and girls are in the USA (about 211,870) and more than 100,000 are in China (107,131 plus an unknown number in pre-trial and 'administrative detention'). The next highest totals are in the Russian Federation (48,478), Brazil (about 44,700), Thailand (41,119), India (17,834), Philippines (12,658), Vietnam (11,644), Indonesia (11,465), Mexico (10,832), Myanmar (9,807) and Turkey (9,708). In the two years since the previous edition of this List was published, the female prison population numbers in Brazil, Indonesia, Philippines and Turkey have risen sharply; by contrast, they have fallen substantially in Mexico, the Russian Federation, Thailand and Vietnam. Women and girls make up 7% of the global prison population. In African countries the proportion of women and girls in the total prison population, at 3%, is much lower than elsewhere. In the Americas women and girls make up 8% of the total prison population (6% if the US figures are excluded), in Asia 7%, in Europe 6% (5% excluding Russia) and in Oceania 7%. The countries with the highest proportions of female prisoners are Hong Kong-China (21%), Laos (18%), Macau-China (15%), Qatar (15%), Kuwait (14%), Thailand (13%), Myanmar (12%), the United Arab Emirates (12%) and South Sudan (11%).* The number of women and girls in prison worldwide has increased by more than 50% since about the year 2000. This cannot be explained in terms of the growth in national population levels: United Nations figures for the world population indicate that this rose only by 21% in about the same period. The female prison population has risen in all continents since 2000. In Africa the rise has been somewhat less than the increase in the general population of the continent and in Europe the increase in prisoner numbers has been similar to the general population increase. By contrast, rises in the female prison population in the Americas, in Asia and in Oceania have been respectively about three, four and five times the increases in the general population of those continents. The number of women and girls in prison has risen particularly sharply in some countries since around 2000; notably in: El Salvador - now ten times the 2000 level Cambodia - now more than six times the 2000 level Indonesia - now more than six times the 2000 level Guatemala - now five times the 2001 level Brazil - now 4.5 times the 2000 level. Comparison of the latest figures with those that were available two years ago suggests that the worldwide female prison population may be still be increasing at a faster rate than the worldwide male prison population. Two years ago the increases since 2000 were 50% for female prisoners and 18% for male prisoners; they are now about 53% and 20% respectively. Details: London: International Centre for Prison Studies, 2017. 13p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed February 14, 2018 at: http://www.prisonstudies.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/world_female_prison_4th_edn_v4_web.pdf Year: 2017 Country: International URL: http://www.prisonstudies.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/world_female_prison_4th_edn_v4_web.pdf Shelf Number: 149126 Keywords: Female Inmates Female Offenders Female 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: Ooi, Evarn J. Title: Recent Trends in the NSW Female Prison Population Summary: Aim: To explore a variety of explanations that can potentially account for the 50 per cent increase in the adult female prison population in NSW since 2011. Method: In general, a rise in the prison population could be the result of an increase in the time spent in custody, or an increase in the number of offenders received into custody. Using multiple sources of NSW criminal justice data, we provide descriptive evidence outlining recent trends in the length of stay (LoS) in custody, as well as changes in the number and offending history of female offenders. Results: Adult female remand and sentenced receptions have increased 55 and 85 per cent, respectively. In addition, females proceeded against to court by NSW Police have risen 18 per cent. We also observe large increases among Indigenous and non-Indigenous females. The most striking results are the substantial increases in repeat female offenders appearing before a court; for instance, the proportion of females with at least one prior court appearance has increased approximately 162 per cent. In contrast, LoS in custody remained relatively stable, and we do not find evidence that women are committing more serious offences. Conclusion: Prior offending history is a key determinant in accounting for the increase in the adult female prison population in recent years. Details: Sydney: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, 2018. 9p. Source: Internet Resource: Bureau Brief; Issue paper no. 130: Accessed April 3, 2018 at: http://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/Documents/BB/2018-Report-Recent-Trends-in-the-NSW-Female-Prison-Population-BB130.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Australia URL: http://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/Documents/BB/2018-Report-Recent-Trends-in-the-NSW-Female-Prison-Population-BB130.pdf Shelf Number: 149655 Keywords: Female Inmates Female Offenders Female PrisonersPrisoners |
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: Minson, Shona Title: Who cares? Analysing the place of children in maternal sentencing decisions in England and Wales Summary: When children face separation from their parents as a consequence of state action in the family courts, their best interests are the paramount consideration of the court and they have legal representation. Children who face separation from their mother as a consequence of sentencing proceedings in the criminal courts are neither represented nor acknowledged. The thesis analyses this differentiated treatment and explores its consequences for children, society and the state. Explanations for the differentiated treatment are tested with reference to existing literature and original empirical research. The impact on children of imprisoned mothers is investigated to determine whether or not they suffer harm. The parameters of the state duty of care towards children are explored, to see if children of defendant mothers fall outside of it, and the way sentencing judges construct and interpret their duty towards mothers and their children within the sentencing process is examined. This thesis establishes that without legal or moral justification, children of maternal defendants are treated without the concern given to children who face separation from their parents in the family courts. Children of defendant mothers suffer as a consequence of the 'secondary prisonisation', 'secondary stigmatisation' and 'confounding grief' which they experience, and the state has failed to uphold their rights under Articles 3, 12 and 20, and is in breach of its duty under Article 2 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989. The guidance and mechanisms for considering their welfare exist but are not engaged with by the sentencing courts, local authorities, legislators or policy makers. This has negative consequences for children, their caregivers and wider society. The thesis concludes with consideration of the implications of these findings for the state and suggests changes to ensure equitable treatment of children of defendant mothers in England and Wales. Details: Oxford, UK: Wadham College, University of Oxford, 2017. 286p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed October 22, 2018 at: https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:51411529-99f0-4d2f-bc90-9f0c5ae84a28/download_file?file_format=pdf&safe_filename=complete%2Bpdf%2Bversion%2Bfor%2BORA%2Bsubmission%2B.pdf&type_of_work=Thesis Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:51411529-99f0-4d2f-bc90-9f0c5ae84a28/download_file?file_format=pdf&safe_filename=complete%2Bpdf%2Bversion%2Bfor%2BORA%2Bsubmission%2B.pdf&type_of_work=Thesis Shelf Number: 153036 Keywords: Children of Prisoners Families of Inmates Female Offenders Female PrisonersSentencing |