Download Survivors in an Incarcerated Setting

Implementing Survivor
Focused Programming for
Incarcerated Females in a
County Jail Facility
Presented by:
Jennifer Scott, MA
Video
Incarcerated Women Nationally
• More than one million women currently under
supervision in the U.S. criminal justice system
• Lauren E. Glaze and Thomas Bonczar, Probation and Parole in the United
2005, Bureau of Justice Statistics, November 2006, 6-8
Staes,
• More than 200,000 of these women confined in state
and local jails.
• Paige Harrison and Allen Beck, Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear
2005, Bureau of Justice Statistics, may 2006, 4
• Between 1977 and 2004, the number of women in
prison grew by 750% -- nearly twice the rate for men.
• www.wpaonline.org/institute/about.htm
Incarcerated Survivors Nationally
• Studies range from finding that 48% to 99%
percent of women in prison have experienced
domestic violence
• Bureau of Justice Statistics. Prior Abuse Reported by
Inmates and Probationers, Washington, DC:U.S.
Department of Justice (1999c)
Incarcerated Women Nationally
• Two-thirds are mothers of a minor child
• Nine out of ten mothers report their children
living with a non-intimate partner during their
incarceration
• Women in Prison Project, Correctional Association of New
York, Imprisonment and Families Fact Sheet, May 2007
Is women’s crime different than men’s?
Women in Prison Project Fact Sheet
2002
• Women commit approximately 15% of all
homicides
• 35% of women who commit violent crimes do
so against their intimate partners
• 93% of women who killed intimate partners had
suffered abuse from that partner
• http://www.prisonpolicy.org/scans/Fact_Sheets_2002.pdf
Domestic Violence as a Pathway to
Female Criminality?
• Gender-based violence trauma may lead to
illegal activities (drugs, etc.)
• Abuser may force or coerce illegal behavior
(“softer sentence” theory)
• Women’s high value on relationships
Developing Survivor Programming
in an Incarcerated Setting
• National Models
– Cook County
– San Francisco
Cook County Sheriff’s Office
• Department of Women’s Justice Services created
in 1999
• 25% of jail’s female population funded by the
Cook County Board
Cook County Sheriff’s Office
• Three Programs:
– MOM’s Program: off-site 16-bed community bed
program for moms of young children
– Women’s Residential Program: treatment program
housed within the jail
– Sheriff’s Female Furlough Program: female day
reporting with electronic monitoring
Cook County Sheriff’s Office
• 2004 study with Northwestern University
reported significant improvement by majority of
participants for anxiety and trauma related
symptoms post-release
San Francisco Sheriff’s Department
• Women’s Reentry and Restorative Justice Center
• Within jail but also adjacent to jail
– Staffed by the formerly incarcerated
Standing Against Global
Exploitation
(SAGE)
• Trauma recovery services for survivors of sexual
exploitation, violence, and prostitution
• Pimps as abusers
Travis County Sheriff’s Office
Austin, TX
Female General Population
Average number of women in custody = 266
Percentage of incarcerated = 11.34%
Number booked in one calendar year = 12,833
Average length of stay 2-3 weeks
People Recognizing the Inherent Dignity of
Everyone (PRIDE) program
With the intent of lessening intergenerational
incarceration, the mission of the PRIDE
program is to assist incarcerated Travis
County women in building stronger
relationships with their children and
families. This is accomplished by providing
the women with information addressing
their physical, emotional and spiritual
needs.
PRIDE
• Began in 2008
• 13 women at a time housed together in unit
• 17 differing classes/ groups provided by
volunteers and local non-profit staff monthly
• Only one dedicated staff position
PRIDE
• First phase is four weeks
• Second phase indefinite
• Heavy components of parenting and trauma
recovery
PRIDE Classes
• Include:
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Parenting
Anger management
Women’s health
Money Management
12-step
Cognitive
Motivational
Peer tutoring
Job Readiness
Participant Demographics
• 431 of women enrolled thus far
• 34% of enrolled completed first phase
• 46% Caucasian, 40% Hispanic, 13% AfricanAmerican, 1% Asian
• Average age of participant is 33
Participant Demographics
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45% direct substance abuse related charges
(28% POCS, 10% Delivery, 7% DWI)
19% Fraud/ Forgery/Theft
13% Assault
30% went on to Texas Department of
Corrections
• Only 20% went to any type of treatment
Participant Demographics
• 71% have diagnosed mental health disorder or
are currently receiving treatment within jail
• 35% did not graduate from high school
• 68% had no employment prior to arrest
• Only 22% had ever attended any type of
treatment or program in the past
Participant Demographics
• Recidivism hard to measure:
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Program only three years old
Limited research resources
Tracking of sentencing lengths
From 8/29/08-8/31/09- 52% returned (skeleton
program)
Participant Demographics
• 82% of participants reported history of domestic
violence and/or sexual assault in their pasts
• Extremely high co-occurring disorders
Observed In the Jail
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Chronic pain (especially pelvic)
Gynecological difficulties
Asthma
Heart palpitations
Headaches
Bruises, cuts, broken bones, concussions
Observed in the Jail
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Anxiety
Panic Disorder
Major Depression
Substance abuse and dependence
Personality disorders
Psychotic disorders
Eating Disorders
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD)
• What is it?
– An anxiety disorder that is characterized by the
reexperiencing of an extremely traumatic event or
events
– May be from one direct personal threat or witnessing
an event that causes death or injury
– Varying responses displayed
• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,
Fourth Edition
“Trauma is an extreme form of bad luck-the bad
luck of being born into the wrong family or
being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It
gets to the essence of the uncertainty of being
alive”.
-Najavits, L.M. (2002). Seeking
Safety: A Treatment Manual for PTSD and
Substance Abuse, viii-ix.
Seeking Safety
• A cognitive behavioral psychotherapy treatment
for individuals struggling with PTSD and
substance abuse
• Used in domestic violence shelters, treatment
facilities and TDC
• Created by Lisa Najavits, Ph.D., 2002
Seeking Safety
• Guiding Principles of Seeking Safety:
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Safety as the priority of “first stage” treatment
Integrated treatment of PTSD and substance abuse
25 session topics
May be used in group setting or individually
Seeking Safety
• Four content areas:
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Cognitive
Behavioral
Interpersonal
Case management
Seeking Safety
• Open and/or closed groups
• Example topics: honesty, creating meaning,
integrating split self, asking for help
• Each is session four parts:
• Check-in
• Quotation reflection
• Topic exploration that compares old and new coping
skills
• Two-part check out including a commitment
Seeking Safety
• Evaluated in five studies:
– Of study published significant improvements in
substance use, trauma-related symptoms, suicide
risk, social adjustment , family functioning, problems
solving, depression
– Najavits, L.M., Weiss, R.D., Shaw, S.R., & Muenz, L.R.(1998).
Seeking safety: Outcome of a new cognitive-behavioral
psychotherapy for women with posttraumatic stress disorder and
substance dependence. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 11 (2): 281300.
PRIDE Challenges
• Jail logistics (time and space)
• Classification issues
• No individual counseling position yet
Outcomes
• Favorable surveys from participants
• Women did not link PTSD with substance abuse
• Women’s biggest hurdle is opening up in group
and sharing with other women
• Inventory of Offender Risk, Needs, and
Strenths (IORNS)-diagnostic tool results
Future Needs
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Caseworker
Research
Increased transitional mentoring for reentry
Skilled job training opportunities
Recommendations
• Compare similar jails (not to prisons)
• Have meeting will all departmental leaders
together
• Create strong relationships with community
agencies and volunteers
• Read:
• Moses Dawn, Glover Reed Beth, Mazelis Ruta
& D’Ambrosio Brandi. (August 2003). Creating
Trauma Services for Women with Co-Occurring
Disorders.
• Abrahamson, Sally. (2009). Prisons Must Cease
Re-Traumatizing Women: A Call for GenderResponsive Programs the End the Cycle of
Abuse.
Video