Women offenders: Promoting a holistic approach and continuity of care across criminal justice and health interventions

Abstract

Analysis of data in this article focuses on the self-reported situations of 21 female respondents who were part of a large-scale study of offenders’ health needs. The findings show an extensive range of physical and psychological problems, often intertwined with substance misuse and other issues, including offending behaviour. Four components of an existing model of ‘continuity of care’ are reviewed to explore the difficulties, but also the potential, for collaborative and co-ordinated interventions with regard to working with women offenders. Concern is expressed about the changes and fragmentation in provision for women brought about by the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda in England and Wales. It is advocated here that policy and practice should be developed across health and criminal justice agencies to provide holistic and integrated approaches which could support women offenders in their attempts to stabilize their lives and to find pathways out of crime.

Women offenders who served community sentences: A view from Catalonia

“…In any case, it should be noted that, like the wider literature (i.e. Annison et al, 2018;Covington andBloom, 2003, 2006;Morash, 2010), in our jurisdiction, drug-involved female users are more likely to have more accentuated problems than other women offenders, and supervision by probation officers and other professionals is more intense in these cases. However, in these cases, the service user has a closer relationship with her rehabilitation centre worker than with her probation officer, as Nadia's testimony shows:…”

Resettlement and the case for women

“…More broadly, we agree with Annison et al (2019) that there is a need for holistic and integrated approaches across criminal justice and health interventions. The criminal justice system alone cannot resolve many of the challenges faced by women caught in the cycle of persistent offending and recall to prison; accessible, flexible and well-resourced community services addressing housing, drug use and health (particularly mental health) are required as well.…”

Women’s pains of punishment: Experiences of female offenders serving community sentences in Lithuania

“…However, our study uncovered some aspects of women serving community sentences related to the specific Lithuanian context. Unlike previous studies (Annison et al, 2019; Malloch and McIvor, 2011), the interviewed women did not represent a profile of ‘demanding clients’. On the contrary, the research participants did not have high expectations of the Probation Service and officers.…”

“…Thus, given their complex needs, women may require more attention than men during their community supervision; working with women can be more complicated and resource-intensive. Consequently, some studies note that women have been characterised as demanding and problematic probation clients (Annison et al, 2019; Malloch and McIvor, 2011).…”