NCJ Number
219846
Journal
Corrections Today Magazine Volume: 69 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2007 Pages: 38-41,43
Date Published
August 2007
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article discusses community supervision strategies for women offenders who are victims of domestic violence.
Abstract
As the number of women entering the criminal justice system has increased, it has become evident that the vast majority of women under community corrections supervision are victims of domestic abuse. As such, one of the most important duties of a community corrections agency is to implement policies that respond to the safety issues of these women and to the complexities of their every day lives. Supervision strategies for female offender populations are offered that include, first, a thorough screening for domestic violence for all female offenders who come under community corrections supervision. Specific strategies for the screening are offered followed by a discussion of the development of preliminary safety plans for female offenders experiencing domestic violence. Women should also be referred to a domestic violence advocate to develop more comprehensive and long-term safety plans. The article next turns to a discussion of strategies that officers can use for supervising women who are abused. These strategies include recognizing and catering to the victim’s unique safety needs, creating a safe environment where women can disclose the abuse, and not mandating the victim to batterer programs or domestic violence counseling programs. A final strategy offered by the author is to build coalitions between community corrections officers and domestic violence advocates in order to more effectively serve this growing population of women. Endnotes