Supervision Strategies and Approaches for Female Parolees: Examining the Link Between Unmet Needs and Parolee Outcome

Abstract

A number of parolees are returning to the community with programming needs that may not have been addressed during their incarceration; these unmet needs may subsequently affect their successful reintegration into the community. Although there is an increasing female parole population, there has been a paucity of research concerning female parolees. The current study examines the types of needs identified at intake from a sample of 546 female parolees. The results revealed the following. First, if a parolee was employed, had stable living arrangements, and was assessed as needing and receiving some type of drug and/or alcohol program intervention, she was less likely to fail on parole. Second, many of these women were underassessed for having needs for drug and alcohol treatment as well as employment, housing, and other assistance. This underassessment may be because of an increasing emphasis on parole supervision (i.e., custody) rather than treatment in parole agencies.

Women Coming Home: Long‐Term Patterns of Recidivism

“…Part of the variation could be attributed to differences in mental health classification by race; 13% of white women were classified as having some form of mental illness while only 7% of women of minority race had a similar diagnosis. This finding should also be considered in light of recent research which has highlighted the underassessment of female parolee's mental health and substance abuse needs (Schram et al, 2006). In addition, white women with lower salient factor scores (higher risk) and more prior convictions were more likely to fail and to recidivate more quickly.…”

Gender Differences in Jail Populations: Factors to Consider in Reentry Strategies

“…The dropping-but still highrates of incarceration and recidivism, particularly the growing numbers of women, illustrate the need for further research, policy and programmatic changes to address gender differences among jail inmates (Bloom & McDiarmid, 2000;Haywood, Kravitz, Goldman, & Freeman, 2000;Schram, Koons-Witt, Williams, & McShane, 2006). Based on these and other findings, the next step is to provide jail populations with gender responsive programs as part of a TJC system to determine their effect on recidivism rates.…”

Gender Differences and Offender Reentry: A Review of the Literature

“…Further research is needed to learn more about gender-specific offender needs, evaluate the effectiveness of programs for both men and women, and to identify policies and practices to reduce recidivism and improve reintegration success (Haywood, Kravitz, Goldman, & Freeman, 2000;Schram, Koons-Witt, Williams, & McShane, 2006). Studies need to identify the various background, etiology, and risk and protective factors, as well as program features and processes that influence intervention outcomes.…”