NCJ Number
245007
Date Published
2014
Length
1 page
Annotation
This document describes 10 facts that corrections professionals should know about working with women in jails.
Abstract
Findings show that: women pose a lower public safety risk than men; women's pathways to criminal justice are different than men's; women's engagement in criminal behavior is often related to their connections with others; women entering jails and prisons often report histories of victimization and trauma, and continue to be vulnerable to victimization within correctional settings; corrections policies and practices have largely been developed through the lens of managing men, not women; jail and prison classification systems can result in unreliable custody designations and over-classification of female inmates; gender-informed risk assessment tools can more accurately identify women's risk and needs; women are more likely to respond favorably when jail staff members adhere to evidence-based, gender-responsive principles; transition and reentry from jail to the community can be challenging for women; and the cost of overly involving women in criminal justice is high. As of 2012 there were more than 90,000 women were being held in U.S. jails. This document details the top 10 reasons why a gender-informed perspective on women in jail improves individual women's outcomes and helps break generational cycles of justice system involvement. A brief discussion of each fact summarizes the supporting research and evidence generated over the past 30 years in several different fields. References