PAROLE SYSTEM - HOW WOMEN FARE (FROM CRIMINOLOGY OF DEVIANT WOMEN, 1979, BY FREDA ADLER AND RITA JAMES SIMON - SEE NCJ-56469)

• NCJ Number: 56480
• Author(s): R J SIMON
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 6 pages
• Corporate Author: Houghton Mifflin Co
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS. FROM THE CONTEMPORARY WOMAN AND CRIME BY RITA JAMES SIMON - NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH, WASHINGTON, D C, 1975

Annotation

STATISTICS ON PAROLE OUTCOMES FOR MEN AND WOMEN THROUGHOUT THE NATION ARE COMPARED FOR 1968-70.

Abstract

IN THE LAST FEW YEARS THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON CRIME AND DELINQUENCY RESEARCH CENTER AT DAVIS, CALIF., HAS PUBLISHED AN ANNUAL NEWSLETTER IN WHICH PAROLE OUTCOMES FOR THE COUNTRY AS A WHOLE ARE REPORTED. PAROLE OUTCOMES FOR MEN AND WOMEN ARE SHOWN BY THE TYPE OF OFFENSE FOR WHICH THEY WERE COMMITTED, THEIR HISTORY OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE, AND THEIR PRIOR PRISON SENTENCES. FOR 1970, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF EIGHT STATES, ALL STATES LISTED 100 PERCENT OF THEIR PAROLEES. THE PERCENTAGE OF MEN AND WOMEN OFFENDERS WHO WERE PAROLED IN 1968-70 BY HOMOGENEOUS OFFENSE CATEGORIES AND THE PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN COMPARED TO MEN WHO WERE PAROLED FOR ALL OFFENSES COMBINED IN EACH OF THE THREE YEARS ARE PRESENTED. THE PERCENTAGES OF WOMEN WHO HAVE BEEN PAROLED FOR THOSE YEARS ARE ONLY SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN THE PERCENTAGE OF FEMALE INMATES IN FEDERAL AND STATE PRISONS (ABOUT 5 PERCENT). PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT FOR WOMEN DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR AT THE PAROLE HEARING STAGE. AN EXAMINATION OF THE PERCENTAGES OF MEN AND WOMEN PAROLED WITHIN THE SAME OFFENSE CATEGORY SHOWS THREE OFFENSES FOR WHICH THERE ARE BOTH BIG DIFFERENCES AND A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF WOMEN TO MAKE THE COMPARISONS WORTHWHILE. MEN WHO WERE CONVICTED OF HOMICIDE, FORGERY, AND FRAUD, AND VIOLATION OF NARCOTIC DRUG LAWS WERE LESS LIKELY TO BE PAROLED THAN WERE WOMEN CONVICTED OF THOSE OFFENSES. FOR THE 13 OTHER OFFENSE CATEGORIES LISTED, THERE ARE NO MARKED DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN. THE PERCENTAGE OF PAROLEES WHO MAINTAINED A SUCCESSFUL PAROLE FOR ONE YEAR, BY TYPE OF OFFENSE FOR WHICH THEY WERE ORIGINALLY COMMITTED IS SHOWN. WITHIN MOST OFFENSE CATEGORIES, EXCEPT FOR VIOLATIONS OF DRUG LAWS, A HIGHER PROPORTION OF THE WOMEN ARE CONTINUED ON PAROLE AFTER ONE YEAR THAN ARE THE MEN. IN FORGERY AND FRAUD CONVICTIONS, PAROLED WOMEN WERE MORE SUCCESSFUL IN STAYING OUT OF PRISON THAN MEN, AND IN DRUG VIOLATIONS THEY WERE LESS SUCCESSFUL. IN COMPARING THE SUCCESSFUL PAROLES OF MEN AND WOMEN BY THEIR HISTORY OF PRIOR COMMITMENTS, MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAD NO PREVIOUS PRISON TERMS PRIOR TO THEIR PAROLE WERE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO HAVE SUCCESSFUL PAROLES THAN WERE PAROLEES WHO HAD AT LEAST ONE PRIOR COMMITMENT. THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAD NO PRIOR COMMITMENTS AS TO THE PROPORTION WHO STAYED OUT FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR. (RCB)