Official incidents of inmate-on-inmate misconduct at a women’s prison: using importation and deprivation theories to compare perpetrators to victims

Importation and deprivation theories have long been used to explain prison misconduct and victimization among male inmates. However, the key variables from these theories have rarely been tested on female inmates. In addition, many of these existing studies use combined samples of males and females, while ignoring female-only samples of prisoners. Using data from official misconduct reports collected from 2007 to 2012 from a large women’s prison in Ohio, the current study sought to compare the characteristics of perpetrators of inmate-on-inmate misconduct to their victims. Findings reveal that variables from both importation (age, race, and current violent offender status) and deprivation (mental health status and prior violent disciplinary reports) theories were significant in predicting perpetrator vs. victim likelihood. Policy implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Life Before “I Killed the Man That Raped Me”: Pre-Prison Life Experiences of Incarcerated Women With Life Sentences and Subsequent Treatment Needs

The number of incarcerated women serving a life sentence is growing. This subpopulation rarely receives programming in prison or even inclusion in intervention studies’ samples. According to importation theory, characteristics of prisoners’ pre-prison experiences guide the types of interventions provided to prisoners. This study examined the importation factors for a sample of women serving life sentences and used thematic analysis to understand these factors. The primary theme was the dominance of trauma in women’s pre-prison lives with four connected sub-themes that highlight treatment needs pre-and during prison. One implication of this study is improving prison policies to include this subpopulation in treatment opportunities.     

Determinants of prisoners’ perceived need for care in association with criminal recidivism

This study explored determinants of perceived need for care among male inmates of general prison wards in Amsterdam (N = 208) with a normative need for care. Also, it assessed the relation between perceived need for care and criminal recidivism. Normative need for care was defined as having a mental health problem, assessed with the Brief Jail Mental Health Screen, or being substance dependent. Perceived need for care was defined as a subjective problem experience and a wish to receive care. Mental health and/or addiction problems were highly prevalent (68%). Of those inmates, only 29% had a perceived need for care. Age and borderline personality disorder were associated with perceived need for care, prior care utilization intermediated these associations. No direct relation between perceived need for care and criminal recidivism was observed. All inmates should be well screened and the benefits of mental health care should be promoted.     

Bringing Women’s Carceral Experiences into the “New Punitiveness” Fray

The last decade produced a revival in comparative penal research, most of which focuses on explaining aggregate-level changes in imprisonment rates. In this paper, we highlight the absence of women in this research and we shift the focus from aggregate imprisonment rates to women’s prison experiences, arguing that these experiences are the best indicators of the post-modern penal era. Using both survey and interview data, we examine women’s perceptions of control over their carceral lives in California, England, and the Netherlands. We find similar prison experiences explain perceptions of control across all three regimes, but regime differences ultimately produce very different outcomes for these women.     

A systematic review of effective therapeutic interventions and management strategies for challenging behaviour in women in forensic mental health settings

Women in secure forensic mental health care require therapy and care that is responsive to their specific needs. Despite the policy recognition that women require a distinct service, evidence based practice is not available for this population. This review was undertaken in response to a clinical need within a medium secure unit in Glasgow that was experiencing high levels of challenging behaviour, in a female ward. The review aimed to identify effective strategies or interventions for the management of challenging behaviour in women in secure services and, therefore, improve practice and patient care. A synthesis of the findings from the 11 identified studies revealed variability in the approaches used to support women in forensic services, including: behavioural programmes; organisational change with a focus on staff training and support; medication; ECT and mechanical restraint. The challenging behaviours assessed included self-harm; physical and verbal aggression; suicide attempts and arson/fire setting. The majority of articles suggested some improvement in aspects of challenging behaviour, however this was limited by the lack of control groups and small sample sizes. Further investigation is required to find out whether interventions identified in this review can sustain a reduction in challenging behaviours in the long-term.     

Keeping Families Together: The Importance of Maintaining Mother–Child Contact for Incarcerated Women

Increases in the population of incarcerated women in the United States have resulted in the separation of growing numbers of mothers and children. The negative effects of dividing families have been noted for both the mothers and the children. The current research examines efforts at keeping imprisoned mothers and children connected through a visitation program. Through one-on-one interviews, the women prisoners share their perspectives about how their children are coping with the separation, their concerns for their children, their views of their roles as mothers, and their needs for after release. The women interviewed include participants in a specialized mother– child visitation program and a comparison group of mothers not in the program. The author suggests that keeping mothers and children connected may produce positive behavioral and emotional outcomes for both the mothers and their children that may reduce correctional costs and increase community safety.     

Mental Health Among Incarcerated Women: An Examination of Factors Impacting Depression and PTSD Symptomology

Female offenders experience mental health symptoms at a higher rate than male offenders and females in the community. The current study investigated individual characteristics and experiences that may impact symptoms of depressive disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among a sample of female inmates in a large Southern prison system. Results showed high rates of reported childhood and adult victimization experiences among the sample. Factors such as seeking mental health treatment prior to incarceration significantly impacted the reporting of depressive and PTSD symptoms, as did victimization histories. Findings suggest that women would benefit from screening to identify mental health needs at the onset of incarceration as well as gender responsive needs assessment and programming to address histories of victimization and current mental health symptomatology.     

Lifetime Abuse, Mental Health, and African American Women

This study examined the relationship between lifetime abuse and mental health among 126 African American women and 365 White women from a primary health care setting who participated in a telephone interview as part of a larger study. Seven types of childhood and adult intimate partner abuse were measured. Consistent with hypotheses, (1) lifetime abuse was associated with elevated levels of anxiety and depression, and (2) women who experienced childhood abuse were more likely to report adult partner abuse. African American and White women showed more similarities than differences in the associations between most abuse experiences and depression and anxiety, as well as types of childhood abuse. African American abused women reported more excessive jealousy by partners. Nonabused African American women reported higher levels of depression and anxiety than their White counterparts. Results are interpreted and discussed taking into account relevant social and cultural factors.     

The Characteristics and Motivations Behind Female Prison Sex

Abstract

Research on the topic of consensual same-sex sexual activities within female prisons has been sparse in sociological and correctional literature. The purpose of the present study was to examine the characteristics and motivations which affect a female inmate's decision to engage in same-sex sexual activity. The most significant and salient variables associated with the same-sex sexual activity among female inmates were age and amount of time served. Younger inmates and those who had served longer periods of time incarcerated were identified as more likely than older inmates and women who have served shorter periods of time to engage in homosexual activity. Race and religion also had a significant effect on selected same-sex sexual behavior in the female correctional facility. The present study finds equal, but limited support for both the deprivation and importation models.     

Self-reported crime rates of women prisoners

This paper presents findings from the first study of female prisoners' self-reports of criminal activity. Using the criminal career paradigm to frame the analysis, self-reported estimates of crime participation and frequency rates were examined for eight felony crimes. Important similarities between women and men were found in overall patterns of crime. Specifically, a small proportion ofboth women and men described committing a large portion of the total crimes reported. These data also suggest that women and men are similar in violent crime participation — a finding that varies from the current literature. Once active in a crime type, women and men committed assault, theft, and forgery at significantly different rates; no gender differences were found in the annualized frequency rates of burglary, robbery, motor vehicle theft, fraud, and drug dealing. However, although statistical differences were not found in the overall frequency of drug dealing, specific patterns of drug dealing reflected considerable gender variation, with a larger proportion of the female sample committing very frequent (daily) drug dealing activity. The findings reflect the value of the criminal career paradigm for the study of gender differences. Future research should include largescale quantitative designs that allow detailed analyses of correlates of the distinct criminal career dimensions.Points of view are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Justice.This research was funded in part by the National Institute of Justice, Grant 87-IJ-CX-0048.