Women’s treatment on men’s conditions: a critical evaluation of selected literature and research findings

Abstract

Purpose Deviant behavior was punished during the middle ages. In the seventeenth century, people were locked up in asylums. A first step towards humanization was taken by the founders of the moral treatment movement in the nineteenth century, but it declined at the end of that century. What we today call “milieu therapy” represents a new phase in treating mental illness and deviance. After the Second World War, the therapeutic community (TC) method was widely implemented in Europe, but the needs of different target populations were not dealt with equally. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach In this contribution, the treatment needs of diverse populations of female drug abusers are addressed. Selected literature and research findings for women in mixed and gender-specific treatment are presented. Findings The conclusion is that we need a women and family perspective in substance abuse treatment and research. Moreover, a holistic and multidisciplinary treatment approach is needed since so many factors and aspects are involved. Originality/value Treatment programs should focus on long-term lifestyle changes and be tailored to the specific needs of diverse target populations. Modified TCs for women and men with children and/or dual diagnosis are definitely the future for TCs.

Employment and the Post-Release Puzzle: The Lived Experience of Securing Legitimate Work among Women Released from Prison in New Zealand

“…Criminality is generally viewed as masculine behaviour (Widom, 1984), despite the fact that literally anyone can commit an act against the law, be it a man or a woman, an adult or a youth, the rich or the poor, the description of what constitutes a 'criminal' is not a one-size-fits-all situation. Though post-release assistance cannot be a blanket approach of 'what works for one person will work for everyone', due to a lack of research into women and criminality, solutions and programmes which were designed for men are consistently used for women as well (Segraeus, 2017), and women's specific social and health related needs are often overlooked in a system that thus far, has mainly been designed with men in mind (Mills, Kendall, et al, 2013).…”