NCJ Number
219506
Journal
Women & Criminal Justice Volume: 17 Issue: 1 Dated: 2005 Pages: 55-74
Date Published
2005
Length
20 pages
Annotation
To better assess service and treatment utilization, this study describes the self-reported criminal history, substance use, and mental health among female probationers and female drug court participants.
Abstract
The hypothesis that both female probationers and female drug court participants would report differences in their criminal history, substance use, and mental health was partially supported. Female probationers did not report more involved criminal histories. In fact, female drug court participants actually reported more lifetime months incarcerated for convictions than did female probationers. While drug court participants reported more days of recent drug use, a higher percentage of female probationers reported lifetime use of five substances. Also, a higher percentage of female probationers reported lifetime and recent measures of mental health. Few differences were found between these two groups on measures of lifetime criminality. Specifically, these two groups of female offenders did not differ significantly on the age of first incarceration or the number of lifetime incarcerations. Female drug court participants reported more lifetime months incarcerated suggesting they might be more criminally involved than the sample of female probationers. With the growing number of women involved in the criminal justice system, there is a need to examine female offenders in order to understand potential differences which might have important implications for treatment assessment and planning. The study consisted of 173 female drug court participants and 160 female probationers. Tables and references