NCJ Number
138305
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 54 Issue: 6 Dated: (August 1992) Pages: 152-159
Date Published
1992
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Corrections agencies must address the unique characteristics of female inmates through programming that teaches self-sufficiency, improved interpersonal relationships, and responsible behavior.
Abstract
Female inmates comprise under 6 percent of the total State and Federal prisoner population. Half were sentenced for property crimes and about 20 percent for murder or manslaughter. The typical female inmate is black, under 30, poorly educated, and unemployed; more than half the women inmates have children. Women prisoners are less likely than men to engage in violence while incarcerated and more anxious to try establishing close relationships in prison. Female inmates should proceed through prison programming in a series of phases that would take them from one skill level to the next. These stages would include assessment and diagnosis, housing assignments, work and training assignments, special needs programming, parole planning, and work release. Building a new women's facility could provide opportunities for improved programming by emphasizing privacy, self-sufficiency, and dignity. 13 references