Female Offender - Treatment and Training

• NCJ Number: 70209
• Author(s): R R Ross; C Currie; B Krug-McKay
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 109 pages
• Corporate Author: Ontario Ministry of Correctional Services; Ontario Ministry of Correctional Services
• Sale Source: Ontario Ministry of Correctional Services
• Language: English
• Country: Canada
• Note: Project - 187. Prepayment required. Make checks payable to Treasurer of Ontario.

Annotation

Literature on treatment and training programs for female offenders was reviewed to learn whether female offenders differ from males in responses to correctional treatment and to identify appropriate programs for females.

Abstract

Numerous social, political, financial, administrative, and ideological factors have influenced the development and nature of programs for female offenders. Programs in use include group therapy and counseling, peer group programs, therapeutic communities, family therapy, cognitive and moral development training, assertiveness training, and behavioral training (token economies, behavioral contracting, interpersonal skills training). Other programs concern alcohol and drug addiction, vocational training, and child care and parenting skills. The poor quality and quantity of research evaluating female offender programs prevent general conclusions about whether treatment does or does not work for female offenders. The literature indicates, however, that treatment and training programs for females are usually both different from those for males and poorer in quantity, quality, and variety. Programs yielding positive outcomes for female offenders or for mixed groups of male and female offenders have the following characteristics: (1) use of offender's peers as therapeutic agents, (2) inclusion of offender's family in treatment, (3) provision of prosocial models, (4) interpersonal skills training, and (5) job skills or job readiness training along with job development. No evidence supported the effectiveness of programs based on females' biological or psychological deficits. Social and economic factors influencing crimes by females should therefore be explored. Results also suggested that correctional managers' best investment would be interpersonal or occupational skills training which uses a social learning or educational model rather than the medical or disease model that has guided past treatments for female offenders. Footnotes and over 200 references are included.