NCJ Number
144669
Date Published
1993
Length
107 pages
Annotation
Although most literature on imprisonment has focused on white male inmates and generalized everyone else, the literature cited in this report reflects the female experience and the application of feminist therapeutic principles in women's prisons.
Abstract
The body of literature is organized in terms of current issues and implications, in the following categories: feminist therapy, women and substance use, feminist group work, women and adult education, women's psychology, and diversity in feminist therapy. The notions of power and control are central to feminist theory. A guiding concept is a reduction of the power imbalance between the therapist and client. Rather than the therapist being regarded as an expert, the client is to be respected as the expert of her own life. The author sums up with two words "empowerment and connection" that merge into a single theme: feminist intervention can empower women by helping them to realize and connect with their own power. 383 references