Recommended Reading

Date	Title	Type
2015	No Place for Youth: Girls in the Adult Justice System By Davis, Antoinette; Gentile, Andrea ; Glesmann, Caroline. NIC- 13CS12GKP3; National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC); National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) (Oakland, CA). This report is necessary reading for anyone working with or concerned about girls who are incarcerated in adult correctional facilities. "Adult jails and prisons are not designed for the confinement of youth, and as a result most are not equipped to meet the inherent and specific needs of adolescents. Studies show that youth in adult confinement do not receive age-appropriate educational, medical, or rehabilitative services. They are subject to conditions that are developmentally inappropriate a... Read More	16 pages
2014	Gender-Responsive Policy Development in Corrections: What We Know and Roadmaps for Change By King, Erica; Foley, Jillian E.. National Institute of Corrections (NIC). Community Services Division (Washington, DC). "Correctional policy and procedure drives decisions in the management and rehabilitation of offender populations. The continuously emerging research on female offenders highlights differences from their male counterparts, particularly in the areas of health, mental health, substance abuse and risk. Yet correctional policies rarely reflect those differences and where adaptations are made it is often not in policy or directive, contributing to tremendous inconsistency in the management of women of... Read More	7 pages
2014	Gender-Responsive Policy & Practice (GRPPA) National Institute of Corrections (NIC) (Washington, DC). The Gender-Responsive Policy & Practice Assessment (GRPPA) outlines the process of evaluating the gender-responsiveness of policies and programs for women and how to use those outcomes to drive enhancements to women’s programming. There are two main sections of the GRPPA. The GRPPA Description and Instructions section provides information on how to facilitate an assessment of current gender-responsive practices in community corrections programs and correctional facilities. It also outlines t... Read More
2013	Pregnancy- and Child- Related Legal and Policy Issues Concerning Justice-Involved Women By Raeder, Myrna. NIC Grant no. 11B7401; National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Do you need detailed information about how to manage inmate mothers? Then this publication is for you. It “provides an overview of pregnancy- and child-related legal questions concerning justice-involved women that can be raised in correctional settings … Understanding how family-based legal issues affect women offenders is important in designing programs to ensure the best outcomes for women and their children, not just in jail or prison settings but also in probation, parole, and community cor... Read More	68 pages
2013	Health, Justice, Women: Behavioral Health and OB/GYN [Internet Broadcast] National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Data continues to show that women are entering the justice system at rates exceeding male offenders and bring with them extremely complex and multi-layered behavioral and physical health issues. While systems must make choices on how best to deploy limited staffing and programming resources, this broadcast series is an opportunity to explore methods of coordination between behavioral and physical health care. This broadcast is the 2nd offering in a two part series addressing health related issue... Read More	2 video DVDs (157 minutes) + 1 data DVD
2012	Health, Justice, Women: Transforming Systems--Changing Lives [Internet Broadcast] National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Women and girls enter the criminal justice system with distinct and unique health care needs. Most are in their child bearing years, may have children, many are victims of abuse, have a mental health diagnosis, or typically exhibit more misconduct than male offenders. This complex mix of needs affects a system's ability to work effectively as it draws upon a higher percentage of resources to care for female offenders. During this national discussion held on August 15, 2012, participants will ... Read More	2 video DVDs (151 minutes)
2009	Outcome Evaluation of the Women Offender Case Management Model in Connecticut Probation National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Orbis Partners, Inc. (Ottawa, Ontario). “The outcome evaluation [for the Women Offender Case Management Model (WOCMM) implemented in Connecticut probation] focuses on determining whether participation in the project reduces future involvement in the criminal justice system as measured by recidivism over a fixed length follow-up period. The outcome evaluation employs a comparison group to determine if participants have more positive outcomes than a group of women with similar characteristics who were not exposed to the model” (p. 1). R... Read More	17 p.
2010	Employment and Female Offenders: An Update of the Empirical Research By Flower, Shawn M.. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). “The purpose of this bulletin is to explore the literature and summarize the empirical evidence related to the impact of employment on the criminal behavior of women” (p. 2). Sections comprising this publication are: female offender demographics; barriers to employment—overview, the role of the family and the community, time-management skills, and the role of agency; correctional education and vocational programs—education programs, vocational/technical programs, overall effectiveness of these p... Read More	24 pages
2008	Achieving Accurate Pictures of Risk and Identifying Gender Responsive Needs: Two New Assessments for Women Offenders By Van Voorhis, Patricia; Salisbury, Emily; Wright, Emily; Bauman, Ashley. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). The development of new risk/needs assessments specifically designed for female offenders is discussed. This report is comprised of these sections: The case for women's needs; Development of new assessments; Construction validation research; Full instruments; Implementation considerations; Obtaining the gender-responsive assessments; And conclusion. ... Read More	26 p.
2005	A Summary of Research, Practice, and Guiding Principles for Women Offenders. The Gender-Responsive Strategies Project: Approach and Findings By Bloom, Barbara; Owen, Barbara; Covington, Stephanie. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Reviews information on gender-specific policies, programs, and services in corrections. Topics covered by this bulletin include: the Gender-Responsive Strategies Project -- approach and findings; defining gender responsiveness; national profile of women offenders; the foundation for the principles a new vision -- six guiding principles for a gender-responsive criminal justice system; general strategies for implementing guiding principles; gender-responsive policy elements; and conclusion -- add... Read More	12 p.
2001	Correctional Health Care: Women Offenders [Lesson Plans and Participant's Manual]; Prison Health Care: Women Offenders National Institute of Corrections Academy (Longmont, CO); National Institute of Corrections. Prisons Division (Washington, DC). The unique challenges of providing health care to women incarcerated in adult facilities are discussed during this 20-hour training program. Sections of this manual cover: objectives and overview; managing women offenders; litigation issues; health issues; mental health issues; creating infrastructure; substance abuse and women; co-occurring; infectious diseases; crisis intervention; and final action plans.... Read More	2 v. (v.1 - ca. 185 p., v.2 - ca. 175 p.)
2004	Developing Gender-Specific Classification Systems for Women Offenders By Hardyman, Patricia L.; Van Voorhis, Patricia. National Institute of Corrections. Prisons Division (Washington, DC). George Washington University. Institute on Crime, Justice and Corrections (Washington, DC); University of Cincinnati. Center for Criminal Justice Research (Cincinnati, OH); National Institute of Corrections. Prisons Division (Washington, DC). A report which highlights the results of two cooperative agreements from the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) addressing the critical need for gender-specific objective classification systems is presented.  Following an executive summary are six chapters: introduction; classification issues for women offenders--the literature; NIC Prisons Division--womens classification initiatives (e.g., National Assessment of Current Practices for Classifying Women Offenders and Working With Correc... Read More	81 p.
2001	Female Offenders in the Community [Videoconference Held July 18, 2001] National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). This video examines the needs, strengths, weaknesses, and risks associated with female offenders. Topics discussed include: The unique and complex issues surrounding female offenders; Barriers that female offenders encounter in the community; Techniques and skills for effecting positive change; Outside resources to assist in supervision; And the challenges and rewards of working with female offenders.... Read More	1 DVD (162 min.)
2008	Gendered Violence and Safety: A Contextual Approach to Improving Security in Women's Facilities By Owen, Barbara; Wells, James; Pollock, Joycelyn; Muscat, Bernadette; Torres, Stephanie. National Institute of Justice (Washington, DC). "In response to the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA), this project . . . examined the context and correlates of both violence and safety in correctional facilities for women" (p. 1). This report is divided into three parts after an abstract and executive summary: Part I, entitled "Gendered Violence and Safety: Improving Security in Women's Facilities," contains the chapters introduction, literature review, gendered violence in women's prisons and jails, and policy implications and re... Read More	441 p.
2006	Responding to Women Offenders: The Department of Women's Justice Services in Cook County, Illinois By Berman, Judy. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). The development and implementation of the Cook County Sheriff's Department of Women's Justice Services (DWJS) is discussed. This bulletin is comprised of these sections: introduction; background; the decisionmaking process; decision point mapping example -- custody/release; creating the DWJS; gender-responsive innovations; meeting the healthcare needs of women offenders in Cook County; and challenges and accomplishments.... Read More	8 p.
2000	Sentencing Women Offenders: A Training Curriculum for Judges [Lesson Plans] By Cicero, June H.; DeCostanzo, Elaine T.. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). National Association of Women Judges (Washington, DC); National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Intervention effectiveness can be improved by understanding how women respond to sanctions. This 6-hour course addressed sentencing practices in relation to female offenders through the following modules: why focus on women offenders?; the judicial response to the woman offender; who women offenders are; what works, what is in place, and what do programs in the represented jurisdictions offer?; sanctioning the woman offender; what do we have and what do we need?; and wrap-up session and evaluati... Read More	92 p.
2002	Services for Families of Prison Inmates National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). LIS, Inc. (Longmont, CO); National Institute of Corrections Information Center (Longmont, CO); National Institute of Corrections. Prisons Division (Washington, DC). Responses from 54 agencies that answered this survey are analyzed and reported. The following sections are contained in this report: introduction; project method; agency initiatives related to families of inmates; facility assignment and visitation assistance; services for inmates with children; services to pregnant inmates and mothers of infants and young children; provision of parenting and parent-child programs in men's and women's prisons; program evaluations; and conclusion. Involvement in ... Read More	15 p.
2005	Supervision of Women Defendants and Offenders in the Community By Sydney, Linda. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). The use of gender-responsive strategies with women involved in the community corrections system is explained. Sections comprising this report are: what community corrections is; what gender-responsiveness for women offenders in community corrections is; definition of gender-responsiveness for women in the criminal justice system; summary of gender-responsive research; characteristics of women offenders in the criminal justice system (e.g., types of offenses, substance abuse, health, children an... Read More	24 p.
2005	The Gender-Responsive Strategies Project: Jail Applications By McCampbell, Susan W.. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Current research about women offenders and strategies for evaluating current operating procedures related to women offenders are covered. Sections of this bulletin include: introduction; women in jail -- their numbers and characteristics; the Gender-Responsive Strategies project -- approach and findings; six gender-responsive guiding principles -- implications for jail administrators; jail classification and gender-responsive strategies for implementation in a jail setting; challenges and how t... Read More	27 p.
2006	Women Offender Case Management Model National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Orbis Partners, Inc. (Ottawa, Ontario). The gender-responsive Women Offender Case Management Model (WOCMM) is described. This document covers: the history of the project; philosophy and core practices; process incorporating four core elements (e.g., engage and assess, enhance motivation, implement the case plan, and review progress); preparing for implementation; and evaluation.... Read More	66 p.

Related Resources

Date	Title	Type
2014	Access to Transportation and Outcomes for Women on Probation and Parole By Bohmert, Miriam Northcutt. Anyone working with female offenders under some form of community corrections, be it probation or parole, should read this report. "The current study focuses attention on a previously understudied topic – transportation deprivation in women offenders. This is a timely and important endeavor given the scale of mass incarceration, number of women on probation and parole, and the numerous barriers women with a criminal record face" (p. ii). Chapters cover: introduction—problem statement and study s... Read More	118 pages
2009	Outcome Evaluation of the Women Offender Case Management Model in Connecticut Probation National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Orbis Partners, Inc. (Ottawa, Ontario). “The outcome evaluation [for the Women Offender Case Management Model (WOCMM) implemented in Connecticut probation] focuses on determining whether participation in the project reduces future involvement in the criminal justice system as measured by recidivism over a fixed length follow-up period. The outcome evaluation employs a comparison group to determine if participants have more positive outcomes than a group of women with similar characteristics who were not exposed to the model” (p. 1). R... Read More	17 p.
2006	Women Offender Case Management Model National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Orbis Partners, Inc. (Ottawa, Ontario). The gender-responsive Women Offender Case Management Model (WOCMM) is described. This document covers: the history of the project; philosophy and core practices; process incorporating four core elements (e.g., engage and assess, enhance motivation, implement the case plan, and review progress); preparing for implementation; and evaluation.... Read More	66 p.
2005	Supervision of Women Defendants and Offenders in the Community By Sydney, Linda. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). The use of gender-responsive strategies with women involved in the community corrections system is explained. Sections comprising this report are: what community corrections is; what gender-responsiveness for women offenders in community corrections is; definition of gender-responsiveness for women in the criminal justice system; summary of gender-responsive research; characteristics of women offenders in the criminal justice system (e.g., types of offenses, substance abuse, health, children an... Read More	24 p.
2001	Female Offenders in the Community [Videoconference Held July 18, 2001] National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). This video examines the needs, strengths, weaknesses, and risks associated with female offenders. Topics discussed include: The unique and complex issues surrounding female offenders; Barriers that female offenders encounter in the community; Techniques and skills for effecting positive change; Outside resources to assist in supervision; And the challenges and rewards of working with female offenders.... Read More	1 DVD (162 min.)
1995	Intermediate Sanctions for Women Offenders National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). Oregon Dept. of Corrections. Intermediate Sanctions for Women Offenders Policy Group (Salem, OR). The Intermediate Sanctions for Women Offenders Policy Group compiled and analyzed qualitative and quantitative information on women offenders, the criminal justice decision making process, and programming resources available to women offenders in Oregon. This document describes the project process and presents the Policy Group's findings, observations, and recommendations. Topics covered include: supervision, probation, parole, trend data, offender demographics, and staff training.... Read More	100 p.
1992	Female Offenders in the Community: An Analysis of Innovative Strategies and Programs By Austin, James; Bloom, Barbara; Donahue, Trish. National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). National Council on Crime and Delinquency (San Francisco, CA); National Institute of Corrections (Washington, DC). This report describes various strategies and programs that appear to provide effective community supervision and/or treatment of female offenders. It describes the results of a national survey of public and private community programs that supervise female offenders. Additionally, the report discusses the pertinent issues, needs, and problems of this population. Along with describing various programs, the report assesses positive aspects of these programs from their objectives through follow-up a... Read More	82 p.

Browse Library Topics

• Women in community corrections
• Women in jails
• Women in prisons
• Women Offenders
• Female offenders
• Inmate mothers
• Female offender programs

• NIC Justice Involved Women's Initiative brochure
• NRCJIW Jail Tip Sheets on Justice Involved Women
• NIC's Gender-Responsive News for Women and Girls
• The National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated
• National Resource Center on Justice Involved Women
• Women's Prison Association

Available Training Opportunities

• Available Online - Justice Involved Women Course 1: Who Are Justice-Involved Women?
  This course provides a broad overview of research and evidence-based practices and addresses the significance of gender-responsive research on women.
• Available Online - Justice Involved Women Course 2: Interpersonal Violence
  This course provides definitions of and an overview of Interpersonal Violence (IPV), the experiences and impact on justice involved women and examples of strategies to mitigate the effects of IPV.
• Available Online - Justice Involved Women Course 3: Effects of Trauma
  This course defines trauma, the impact of traumatic experiences on justice involved women, and the introduction to the Adverse Childhood Experiences study (ACEs) and its’ relevance.
• Available Online - Justice Involved Women Course 4: Effective Gender-Responsive Practices
  Building upon the preceding three courses on research, interpersonal violence and trauma, this course integrates that content and builds a foundation for effective case management.
• Available Online - Justice Involved Women Course 5: Building Individual and Organizational Resilience
  The previous four courses addressed working with justice involved women, in Course 5 we switch the focus and look at the impact of this challenging work on our correctional staff. Course content contains important definitions, tips for improving self-awareness and building personal resilience and finally an overview on organizational stress.
• Available Online - Workforce Development and Women Offenders
  This e-course is intended for individuals working or volunteering in prisons, jails, community corrections, community and faith-based organizations, U.S. Department of Labor One-Stops, and other governmental organizations such as health and human services who are interested in workforce development issues specific to women offenders.