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Date: November 25, 2024 Mon
Time: 8:11 pm
Time: 8:11 pm
Results for female offenders (u.s.)
6 results foundAuthor: Lynch, Shannon M. Title: Women's Pathways to Jail: The Roles & Intersections of Serious Mental Illness & Trauma Summary: This multi-site study addressed critical gaps in the literature by assessing the prevalence of serious mental illness (SMI), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance use disorders (SUD) in women in jail and pathways to offending for women with and without SMI. Using a randomly selected sample (N = 491) from rural and urban jails, this study employed a structured diagnostic interview to assess current and lifetime prevalence of SMI (e.g., major depression, bipolar, and psychotic spectrum disorders), PTSD, and SUD in women in jail. Women’s prior access to treatment and level of functional impairment in the past 12 months was also assessed. Next, qualitative Life History Calendar (LHC) interviews were conducted with a subset of the sample (N = 115) to examine how onset of different types of criminal activity and delinquency vary as a function of mental health status and trauma exposure. Finally, we also interviewed corrections staff members (N = 37) at participating jail sites to assess staff members’ perceptions about the prevalence of mental health difficulties in women in jail as well as staff beliefs about women’s pathways to jail. Notably, 43% of participants met criteria for a lifetime SMI, and 32% met SMI criteria in the past 12 months. Substance use disorders were the most commonly occurring disorders, with 82% of the sample meeting lifetime criteria for drug or alcohol abuse or dependence. Similarly, PTSD rates were high with just over half the sample (53%) meeting criteria for lifetime PTSD. Women also met criteria for multiple lifetime disorders at high rates. Finally, 30 to 45% of individuals who met criteria for a current disorder reported severely impaired functioning in the past year. Women with SMI reported greater rates of victimization and more extensive offending histories than women who did not meet criteria for lifetime SMI. In a test of our proposed model, experiences of childhood victimization and adult trauma did not directly predict offending histories; instead both forms of victimization increased the risk of poor mental health, and poor mental health predicted a greater offending history. Next, quantitative LHC data were analyzed to elucidate patterns of offending over the lifespan. SMI significantly increased women’s risk for onset of substance use, drug dealing/charges, property crime, fighting/assault, and running away. In addition, experiences of victimization predicted risk of offending. The third component of this study included interviews with corrections staff including supervisors, health practitioners, and corrections officers/deputies. These staff members indicated a general awareness that women’s experiences of victimization were linked with their entry into the criminal justice system. Further, many staff were aware of women’s mental health problems. In particular, they expressed concern that there were limited resources in jail for women struggling with mental illness, and that women were then released from jail with little to no assistance to support their attempts to change behavior and lifestyle. Understanding female offenders’ pathways to offending, including both risk for onset and risk for continued offending, helps elucidate the complexity of their experiences and identify key factors and intervening variables that may ameliorate or exacerbate risk. This type of research is critical to development of gender responsive programming, alternatives to incarceration, and problem-solving court initiatives. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2012. 91p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 17, 2013 at: https://www.bja.gov/Publications/Women_Pathways_to_Jail.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: https://www.bja.gov/Publications/Women_Pathways_to_Jail.pdf Shelf Number: 127341 Keywords: Drug Abuse and CrimeFemale Offenders (U.S.)JailsMentally Ill OffendersPost-Traumatic Stress DisorderSubstance Abuse and Crime |
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: Corman, Hope Title: Effects of Welfare Reform on Women's Crime Summary: We investigate the effects of broad-based work incentives on female crime by exploiting the welfare reform legislation of the 1990s, which dramatically increased employment among women at risk for relying on cash assistance. We find that welfare reform decreased female property crime arrests by 4–5%, but did not affect other types of crimes. The effects appear to be stronger in states with lower welfare benefits and higher earnings disregards, and in states with larger caseload declines. The findings point to broad-based work incentives—and, by inference, employment—as a key determinant of female property crime. Details: Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2013. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: NBER Working Paper No. 18887: Accessed March 18, 2013 at: http://www.nber.org/papers/w18887 Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.nber.org/papers/w18887 Shelf Number: 127992 Keywords: EmploymentFemale CrimeFemale Offenders (U.S.)Welfare Reform |
Author: Lynch, Shannon M. Title: Women’s Pathways to Jail: Examining Mental Health, Trauma, and Substance Use Summary: The rate of incarceration of women has increased substantially in recent decades, with a 31 percent increase between 2000 and 2011 (Minton, 2012). Female offenders appear to have different risk factors for offending than do male offenders. In particular, female offenders report greater incidence of mental health problems and serious mental illness (SMI) than do male offenders (James and Glaze, 2006; Steadman et al., 2009). Female offenders also report higher rates of substance dependence as well as greater incidence of past physical and sexual abuse (James and Glaze, 2006). Other researchers also have noted elevated rates of experiences of interpersonal trauma, substance dependence, and associated symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in female offenders (Green et al., 2005; Lynch et al., 2012). This multisite study addresses critical gaps in the literature by assessing the prevalence of SMI, PTSD, and substance use disorders (SUD) in women in jail, and the pathways to jail for women with and without SMI. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2013. 4p. Source: Internet Resource: BJA Policiy Brief: Accessed April 18, 2013 at: https://www.bja.gov/Publications/WomensPathwaysToJail.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: https://www.bja.gov/Publications/WomensPathwaysToJail.pdf Shelf Number: 128414 Keywords: Drug Abuse and AddictionDrug Abuse and CrimeFemale InmatesFemale Offenders (U.S.)Jail InmatesMental Health ServicesMentally Ill Offenders |
Author: 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 |