Practice Goals/Target Population
Gender-Specific Programming for Incarcerated Females entails in-prison substance abuse and other types of treatment programs that are specifically designed for incarcerated women. The goals of the programs are to reduce the risk of recidivism.
Practice Theory
Gender-specific treatment programs were created as a result of challenges to the assumption that mainstream, gender-neutral correctional programs were appropriate for women. Instead, advocates for women-centered perspectives argued that because women’s pathways to crime are different from men’s, correctional interventions for women should take a different approach from correctional interventions for men. Gender-specific interventions are partly founded on relational-cultural theory (Miller 1986), feminist paradigms, and strengths-based approaches (Van Wormer 2001).
Gender-specific programming can be informed by the risk-reduction model, which is based on the idea that identifying and addressing dynamic or malleable risk factors for criminal behavior will reduce recidivism (Andrews and Bonta 1998). For instance, by addressing substance abuse among women in prison, the practice is theorized to reduce reoffending and re-incarceration after release.
Practice Components
Substance abuse treatment under the risk-reduction model is typically provided either through a therapeutic community or cognitive—behavioral approach. Therapeutic communities typically employ a holistic approach toward modifying the socialization and underlying values of those convicted of an offense (De Leon 1986; Messina et al. 2006). Cognitive–behavioral interventions seek to change the these individuals’ thinking patterns.
Various programs are aimed at improving women’s functioning during and after incarceration. The programs can target women’s psychological and physical well-being and focus on issues such as coping with physical or sexual abuse, parenting, and HIV risk. Many of the programs try to help the women heal emotionally from past experiences of victimization; to reduce symptoms or incidence of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and anger; and to boost self-esteem (Bedard et al. 2003; Bonta et al. 1995; Schram and Morash 2002; Valentine and Smith 2001).
Other programs target parenting skills. Such programs train women in prison on understanding and meeting the developmental needs of their children, avoiding the use of corporal punishment and using other disciplinary methods, and establishing parenting roles.
Finally, other programs aim to improve women’s physical health by increasing HIV awareness and prevention efforts and helping HIV-positive inmates by addressing feelings of isolation, stigma, shame, and poor self-image (Chung and Magraw 1992; Pomeroy et al. 1999).
