NCJ Number
219852
Journal
Corrections Today Magazine Volume: 69 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2007 Pages: 64-66
Date Published
August 2007
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes New Mexico’s woman-centered approach for female offenders.
Abstract
Recognizing that women have different pathways to offending than men, New Mexico offers a variety of woman-centered programming for female offenders. These programs are briefly described and include intensive gender-specific case management programming, a family literacy program designed to help mothers read to their children, a therapeutic residential program that focuses on a variety of female-specific issues, and Dolls Against Domestic Abuse in which female inmates make dolls for children who were present at a domestic violence scene and now live in a safe house. Other programs include regular therapeutic visits with children, overnight visitation for incarcerated mothers, creative writing and poetry for female classes, community work release, reentry planning, and televisitation. Female inmates can also receive substance abuse treatment at the New Mexico Women’s Recovery Academy, which serves mothers with addiction problems as well as female inmates with a dual diagnosis of a mental illness and a substance abuse problem. Staff for the New Mexico Department of Corrections complete a 3-day training session on “Working with Female Offenders” in order to raise awareness of women’s unique needs and issues.