Reentry as Experienced by Women in Jail: Advocating for Change

Dobmeier, Robert A.; Korni, Swaroop Kumar; Brown-Smythe, Claudette A.; Outland, Rafael L.; Williams‐McGahee, Patricia; LaDelfa, Anna N.; White, Joanna

doi:10.1002/adsp.12104

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Justiceinvolved women may also live with family, friends, or intimate partners, which can be a haven of safety and support, a threat to their sobriety and personal wellness, or a combination thereof [15]. Other challenges include transportation, food security, health care access, and logistics related to identification, cell phones, and other essential items [16,17].…”

Section: Justice-involved Womenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Humans peeing: Justice-involved women’s access to toilets in public spaces

Smoyer

Pittman²,

Borzillo³

2023

PLoS ONE

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Justice-involved women face myriad challenges as they negotiate the terms of community supervision and manage the long-term implications and stigma of living with a criminal record. Major tasks that women juggle include securing safe, affordable housing, finding and retaining employment, accessing physical and mental health care (including substance use treatment), and handling relationships with family, friends, children, and intimate partners. In addition to these responsibilities, women must meet their basic physiological needs to eat, sleep, and use the toilet. Women’s ability to safely meet their personal care needs may impact their capacity to manage their criminal-legal challenges. This study uses qualitative methods to understand justice-involved women’s lived experiences related to urination. Specifically, the study reports on a thematic analysis of 8 focus groups conducted with justice-involved women (n = 58) and the results of a toilet audit conducted in the downtown areas of the small city in the United States where the focus group participants were living. Findings suggest that women had limited access to restrooms and reported urinating outside. Lack of restroom access impacted their engagement with social services support and employment and their ability to travel through public spaces. Women perceived their public toilet options as unsafe, increasing their sense of vulnerability and reinforcing the idea that they did not have full access to citizenship in the community because of their criminal-legal involvement. The exclusion and denial of women’s humanity that is perpetuated by a lack of public toilet access impacts women’s psychosocial outcomes. City governments, social service agencies, and employers are encouraged to consider how lack of toilet access may impact their public safety and criminal-legal objectives and expand opportunities for people to access safe restroom facilities.

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Section: Justice-involved Womenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Humans peeing: Justice-involved women’s access to toilets in public spaces

Smoyer

Pittman²,

Borzillo³

2023

PLoS ONE

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“…Prison populations often include individuals with diverse characteristics and varied individual needs (Tyler et al , 2019), many of whom need support from or may like to experience potential interventions. Whilst the main goal may be the intended therapeutic change, the participation in prison interventions may also provide a novel opportunity for personal guidance and mental stimulation, which may be beneficial to individual well-being (Dobmeier et al , 2021). For example, within the reviewed studies, despite suicidal ideation being common in prisons, only one study permitted the inclusion of actively suicidal participants (Maroney et al , 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Group-based mindfulness interventions in prisons: a selective critical review

Harding-White,

Mojtahedi,

Carson

2023

JFP

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Purpose The use of mindfulness interventions (MIs) as means to manage unwanted or undesirable affect and behaviour has increased in popularity recently. This has resulted in the trial of MIs as a means to benefit well-being within prisons, with some intention of reducing recidivism. This study aims to examine current research regarding the use of MIs within prisons. Design/methodology/approach A total of 14 studies were manually selected for review inclusion according to their determined eligibility. All studies were required to have taken place in a prison and to include an explicit mindfulness intervention, including mindfulness theory and practice. Findings Most interventions reviewed demonstrated success, particularly when tailored to the unique needs of a prison environment. Positive changes reported included improvements in participant mental health symptoms, as well as reduced stress and increased mindfulness skills. Some preliminary evidence was provided to indicate the potential longevity of some of these benefits. This review further highlighted some significant questions regarding the generalisability of the proposed suitability of MIs within prison environments including practical delivery constraints and the lack of acknowledgment of the unique challenges and circumstances faced by prisoners. Practical implications The findings of this review show positive potential for the use of MIs within prison populations, where these are well-linked to mindfulness theory and to the needs of inmates. The review also suggest that MIs should be investigated thoroughly, examining potential negative implications alongside positive changes. There needs to be further review of the role of MIs within prison populations to ensure their suitability in the custodial environment. Originality/value MIs are somewhat inflated in terms of predicted outcomes and sometimes applied to potentially unsuitable groups. A significant gap within the literature also persists regarding potentially negative implications associated with MIs, particularly within unique prison populations. Prison treatment programmes should be developed with careful consideration of unique prisoner needs in comparison to a general population.

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