Women Offenders: More Troubled Than Troublesome? (From What Else Works? Creative Work With Offenders, P 91-116, 2010, Jo Brayford, Francis Cowe, and John Deering, eds. - See NCJ-230924)

• NCJ Number: 230928
• Author(s): Jenny Roberts
• Date Published: 2010
• Length: 26 pages
• Sale Source: Willan Publishing
• Publication Format: Book Chapter
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This chapter first notes research findings that show women offenders have distinctive gender-related needs that are often ignored in correctional efforts in the United Kingdom, and it recommends and provides examples of existing "one-stop shop" approaches to women offenders.

Abstract

In March 2005, then Home Secretary Charles Clarke announced an investment of just over 9 million pounds in "radical new approaches to help reduce women's offending." The new initiatives include community supervision and support centers where female offenders can access a comprehensive range of services designed to meet their needs. This includes services and support for addressing drug abuse, mental health problems, housing, child care, domestic violence, and other issues linked to women's criminal behavior. In his announcement of this new approach to managing women offenders, Clarke called these new centers "one-stop-shops." This concept stemmed from the success of an existing program called the Asha Centre, which was established locally in the early years of 2000 by the Hereford and Worcester Probation Service, but failed to receive accreditation by the Home Office. In 2004, the Asha Centre published a qualitative evaluation undertaken to mark the end of a period of West Midlands Government Office funding for the new "one-stop shop." The evaluation included a survey of the partner organizations linked to the center, which yielded overwhelming approval of the center's work, coupled with women offenders' reports of positive changes and desistance from crime. Center programs deal with relevant need of the women participants placed in the context of strategies developed for avoiding offending. The program is delivered through a single center through specialist women probation officers. This chapter describes how the "one-stop shop" for women addresses physical and mental health, enjoyment of life, coping/problem-solving, assertiveness, confidence, self-esteem, motivation, and relationships toward the end of developing positive, crime-free lifestyles. 4 tables, 2 figures,6 notes, and 38 references