Gender-Specific Therapy for Women Prisoners
RESEARCH QUESTION AND JUSTIFICATION
On average, women make up about 7% of the total federal and state incarcerated population in the United States. This has increased since the 1980s due to stricter and more severe laws that focus on recreational drug use, a lack of community programs, and fewer treatment centers available for outpatients (Zaitow and Thomas, eds., 2003). According to the National Women's Law Centers, women prisoners report a higher than statistically normal history of domestic violence in their immediate past, and the fastest growing prison population with a disproportionate number of non-Whites forming over 60% of the population. In fact, over 30% of women in prison are serving sentences for murder involving a spouse or partner. The incarceration of women presents far different cultural and sociological issues than those of men -- issues with children, family, sexual politics and more (NWLC, 2012).
The rapid increase of female prisoners in a male-dominated system has left fewer adequate resources available for women. In addition, most research shows that women's prison experiences differ drastically from those of men because their relationships inside and outside prison tend to shape the culture then enter into in prison.
Women tend to form differing structures than men, finding roles similar to that which they would undertake outside prison. In addition, over 60% of women in prison were the primary guardians for their children, causing women to experience a higher degree of trauma and separation anxiety as well as a differing view of the judicial system and their own roles (Women in the Criminal Justice System, 2012). What is true, however, is that there is a clear disconnect in being able to handle the issues surrounding criminal justice in the U.S. For example, while the total U.S. population rose about 25% from 1980 to 2006, roughly 25 years, the prison population rose almost 400%. Nearly one in four of all prisoners globally are in American prisons; one in nine African-Americans, and now our prison system and local jails have almost 2.5 million prisoners causing an extreme burden on the criminal justice system, public health and safety and the taxpayer (Gonnerman, 2008).
Because of these divergent issues, our research will ask: are women offenders more likely to be successful if they participate in a gender-response program vs. A traditional, non-gender specific program?
LITERATURE REVIEW
There is general consensus in both the academic and governmental fields that the American prison system is broken. At best, we might look at our prison system as a massive warehouse for humans -- but conditions likened to our meat industry; overcrowded conditions with understaffed personnel. Additionally, the public continues to criticize the high recidivism rate usually associated with the modern prison population. Due to these sociological issues, it is the exception rather than the rule for inmates to meld back into productive society. However, the more unhappy members of society become, and the more conservative politicians vote for harsher penalties, the problem exacerbates. Crowding increases, services decline, and even the most liberal minded criminologists realize there is almost no chance for rehabilitation. As late as 2009, in fact, the United States has the highest documented incarceration rate in the entire world (West, 2010). It is important to note, though, that the United States does report all of its prisoners, and it is likely some countries do not. Still, there is an unbelievably high incarceration rate of 748/100,000 inmates in the U.S., or .75%, causing many global organizations to remark that the United States has 1% of its population in jail, and another 3% on parole, with another half a percent as juveniles, making it the wealthiest country in the world with 5% of its population tied up in the penal system (Total U.S. Correctional Population, 2010).
The actual number of women in the U.S. prison system is increasing nearly twice that of men. About 33% of these women are incarcerated due to drug offenses. More than 60% have histories of physical and sexual abuse, high rates of HIV infection, and substance issues. In addition to the sociological problems faced by incarcerating more women, there has been a clear increase in the number of children suffering from loss of family ties and stability (Women in the Justice System, 2012).
Because female incarceration is different, there are several rehabilitative programs and theories that may have special use for women: gender-responsive and/or cognitive based. We know that males and females develop cognitively in different ways, react to certain stimuli in divergent ways, and even communicate in slightly different fashions. It therefore stands to reason that any therapeutic or rehabilitative approach...
Not only was it cost effective but the study also reported that offenders who were treated in the community setting were 43% less likely to reoffend compared to the prison population clearly suggesting the effectiveness of community-based sentences. [Amanda Noblet, 2008, pg 27] Conclusion The criminal justice system is clearly unprepared and ill equipped to manage the unique needs of women in prison. There is clearly a need for a specific
There is also the idea that the child will not be believed, and the idea that a child (or even an adult) might tell this humiliating and painful story only to be laughed at, ignored, or turned away, is too much for many of these victims to bear (Denov, 2003). b. DSM-IV AND SEX OFFENDING Paraphilias appear to be presented as a primarily male problem. An addendum to the section of
3. Variables Such as Gender There are various disparities in the overall demographics of this type of offense. As one report on the demographics of sex offenders in the United States, notes; "… although the vast majority of attention on sex crimes focuses on men as the offenders, an increased awareness of females as sex offenders has surfaced in recent years." (Female Sex Offenders, 2007) This study also adds the important
CAEFS takes the position that women with mental health problems do not belong in prisons and that the treatment, support and assistance they need should be provided to them in the community, rather than in prison. Recommendation #2) The above statement clearly outlines central problem areas that should be the focus of investigation. As this study and others emphasize, women who enter prison with mental issues and problems require intensive support.
Women in Prison Major Legal Issues Concerning Female Inmates Problems in corrections: Dealing with the unique needs of women in the prison system The number of female prison inmates in America and internationally is growing. Although men still outnumber women in the prison population, the rates of female incarceration, once considered relatively nominal, have skyrocketed. "In the U.S., where the prison and jail population reached two million in the year 2000, women's incarceration is
Step 3: Discuss the Precipitating Event After relationship is recognized, the emphasis goes to the family insights of the condition, the sequence of proceedings leading up to the predicament, and the issue that started out the sequence of events (Graham-Bermann, S.A., 2002). Consultations inspect when and how the disaster happened, the causal conditions, and how the family endeavored to covenant with it. Step 4: Assess Strengths and Needs The Family valuation of strengths
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