Prison Programming for Females

Abstract

Prison programming for females in the United States has a varied past, from being housed in the same facilities with men and engaging in gender‐stereotypical tasks to a movement toward gender‐responsive programs. In recent years, the call for gender‐responsive programs and evidence‐based correctional practices has led to the implementation of empirically supported programs that address the unique needs of incarcerated women. The implementation of these programs provides hope for the future of addressing the criminogenic needs of females.

A Qualitative Examination of Correctional Programming Perceptions and Experiences Among Incarcerated Women

“…Correctional facilities have become the primary providers of social services in the United States. Because over 90.0% of those incarcerated in the United States are male (Carson, 2020), correctional programming, as a whole, was developed and implemented based on the masculinities of crime (Cabage, 2019;Morash et al, 1994;Schram et al, 2004). During the 1980s, the "war on drugs" caused an influx in incarceration for both men and women.…”

“…Despite the exponential growth of incarcerated women, gender-responsive policies and practices, including correctional programming, remain limited (Bloom et al, 2003; Cabage, 2019; Morash et al, 1994). The pathways to offending and the services needed once incarcerated differ between men and women (Bloom et al, 2003).…”