Profiling the Needs of Young Female Offenders: A Protocol and Pilot Study

• NCJ Number: 179988
• Author(s): Barbara Owen Ph.D.; Barbara Bloom Ph.D.
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 142 pages
• Grant Number(s): 95-IJ-CX-0098
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Instructional Material

Annotation

This protocol suggests ways that individual agencies, institutions, or jurisdictions can collect information on their youthful female offender population.

Abstract

The protocol proposes three basic steps in collecting this information: a detailed profile of the youthful female population of interest, an onsite inventory of existing programs within the facility of interest, and a needs assessment that will match profile data with program data to determine gaps between identified needs and current program availability. These methods were tested in two previous studies: a study of women in California prisons (Owen and Bloom, 1995) and a pilot study of youthful female offenders in the California Youth Authority (Results of the pilot study are in the appendix of this protocol). This protocol describes steps necessary to conduct the needs assessment and provides information on the underserved youthful female offender population. The first step is "The Profile," which is designed as an individual, face-to-face survey of population demographics and personal histories. Information is provided on customizing the instrument, sampling, informed consent and the protection of subjects, staffing, announcing the study, the interview, editing, tabulating and analyzing the data, and interpreting and writing up the data. The second step is the program inventory. This involves determining the range of programs, the development of instruments for program data collection, the selection of programs for intensive site review, program site review, program analysis, and program findings and recommendations. The third step involves combining material from the profile interviews and the program inventory to identify gaps in programs and services for young female offenders. Appended survey instruments and 23 references