NCJ Number
204080
Editor(s)
Ruth T. Zaplin M. A.
Date Published
1998
Length
422 pages
Annotation
This book brings together scholarly and programmatic perspectives on women offenders, including their pathways into criminality and the response of the criminal justice system.
Abstract
In less than two decades, the United States women’s prison population has increased six-fold. As such, what was once a feminist subspecialty that focused on women offenders has suddenly been thrust front and center as scholars and policymakers struggle with how to respond to women who offend. The 18 chapters that comprise the book offer a profile of the typical female offender and a sampling of the services and support offered to women offenders. Part 1 focuses on the theoretical perspective and offers six chapters that discuss the nature of female offending, delinquency patterns in girls, and theoretical approaches to the intervention and treatment of female offenders. For example, chapter 2 addresses the misrepresentation of female offenders by the research community and the criminal justice system and offers a composite sketch of the typical female offender. The six chapters that comprise part 2 consider treatments and strategies designed to help women offenders conquer their demons and lead productive, crime-free lives. Part 2 offers chapters that discuss a systems-theory perspective on individual psychotherapy, problematic institutional classification of females, mental health issues, and childhood maltreatment and its links to female criminality. For example, chapter 9 provides an overview of the mental health disorders typically seen in women offenders and focuses on transitional counseling issues. Part 3 contains five chapters that focus on intervention and treatment programs for female offenders. These programs include an integrated systems approach, a multimodal/dual empowerment approach, model programs for incarcerated mothers and prostitutes, and an overview of elements of effective programming for female offenders. For example, chapter 15 examines the needs of incarcerated mothers and their children and presents a model program that is designed to nurture the mother-child relationship. Finally, part 4 focuses on future directions for research and programming for female offenders. The one chapter in part 4 offers a concise summary of the lessons learned throughout the book and contends that if the themes presented in the book find there way to practice, a significant reduction in female offending will be realized. Tables, figures, exhibits, references, index