How "Specific" are Gender-Specific Rehabilitation Needs?: An Empirical Analysis

• NCJ Number: 224489
• Journal: Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 35 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2008 Pages: 1382-1397
• Author(s): Kirk Heilbrun; David Dematteo; Ralph Fretz; Jacey Erickson; Kento Yasuhara; Natalie Anumba
• Date Published: November 2008
• Length: 16 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This comparison of a sample of female offenders (n=886) and male offenders (n=1,435) recently released from incarceration focused on their reentry needs in the areas of employment, companions, and income.

Abstract

Although the findings of this study confirm previous research findings in identifying similar risks and needs for both male and female ex-offenders involved in reentry, the financial domain of the Level of Service Inventory-Revised (LSI-R) showed that the females in the sample experienced greater levels of financial difficulty compared to the males. The findings also showed statistically significant differences between the men and women on the companion variables of the LSI-R. The social interactions of women upon reentry, particularly when they involved men, were more criminogenic for women in the sample. There was no significant difference between men and women in the education/employment domain. Empirical research that examines the differences between male and female offenders, particularly related to gender-specific criminogenic risk and needs, should be used to inform the development and implementation of gender-specific rehabilitative strategies. Archival records of 2,321 offenders (1,435 men and 886 women) were reviewed as part of this study. The men were randomly sampled from offenders released from two private assessment and rehabilitation centers in New Jersey between 1999 and 2003. The female sample consisted of all women released from a private assessment and rehabilitation center in New Jersey between 2004 and 2006. A database was created and analyzed based on the information contained in a typical assessment file maintained by the assessment and treatment center. The variables addressed in this study included age, race, marital status, education, and gender, as well as the overall score for the LSI-R and the scores on several LSI-R domains. 2 tables and 52 references