NCJ Number
208205
Journal
Crime & Delinquency Volume: 51 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2005 Pages: 133-151
Date Published
January 2005
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study examined trauma exposure, psychopathology, sexual risk behavior, parenting skills, and perceived need for services among a sample of female jail inmates.
Abstract
The growth in the female prisoner population has outpaced the growth for males. This is troublesome in light of research that shows female prisoners have high exposure levels to a variety of trauma experiences, especially interpersonal violence such as childhood physical and sexual abuse. The current study probed issues relating to trauma exposure, mental health, and need for services among a convenience sample of 100 female inmates housed in a county correctional center. Participants were interviewed by two female clinical psychologists who administered various measures of trauma exposure, substance abuse, psychiatric disorders, sexual and reproductive behavior, parenting, and perceived needs. Results of statistical analyses revealed high levels of trauma exposure (98 percent), especially interpersonal trauma (90 percent), among the female inmates, as well as high rates of substance abuse (74 percent) and clinically relevant levels of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (36 percent). Participants described their most salient needs as falling in the areas of substance abuse and family issues. Unless the salient needs of incarcerated women are taken into account during inmate program development, female prisoners are unlikely to benefit from pre- and post-release programming. Future research should continue to probe the needs of incarcerated women, especially in terms of parenting and family issues. Tables, references