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Implementing Survivor Focused Programming for Incarcerated Females in a County Jail Facility

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

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Implementing Survivor Focused Programming for Incarcerated Females in a County Jail Facility

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  1. Implementing Survivor Focused Programming for Incarcerated Females in a County Jail Facility Presented by: Jennifer Scott, MA

  2. Video

  3. 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 Staes, 2005, Bureau of Justice Statistics, November 2006, 6-8 • 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

  4. 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 byInmates and Probationers, Washington, DC:U.S. Department of Justice (1999c)

  5. 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

  6. Is women’s crime different than men’s?

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. Developing Survivor Programming in an Incarcerated Setting • National Models • Cook County • San Francisco

  10. 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

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. San Francisco Sheriff’s Department • Women’s Reentry and Restorative Justice Center • Within jail but also adjacent to jail • Staffed by the formerly incarcerated

  14. Standing Against Global Exploitation(SAGE) • Trauma recovery services for survivors of sexual exploitation, violence, and prostitution • Pimps as abusers

  15. Travis County Sheriff’s OfficeAustin, 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

  16. People Recognizing the Inherent Dignity of Everyone (PRIDE) program

  17. 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.

  18. 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

  19. PRIDE • First phase is four weeks • Second phase indefinite • Heavy components of parenting and trauma recovery

  20. PRIDE Classes • Include: • Parenting • Anger management • Women’s health • Money Management • 12-step • Cognitive • Motivational • Peer tutoring • Job Readiness

  21. Participant Demographics • 431 of women enrolled thus far • 34% of enrolled completed first phase • 46% Caucasian, 40% Hispanic, 13% African-American, 1% Asian • Average age of participant is 33

  22. Participant Demographics • 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

  23. 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

  24. Participant Demographics • Recidivism hard to measure: • Program only three years old • Limited research resources • Tracking of sentencing lengths • From 8/29/08-8/31/09- 52% returned (skeleton program)

  25. Participant Demographics • 82% of participants reported history of domestic violence and/or sexual assault in their pasts • Extremely high co-occurring disorders

  26. Observed In the Jail • Chronic pain (especially pelvic) • Gynecological difficulties • Asthma • Heart palpitations • Headaches • Bruises, cuts, broken bones, concussions

  27. Observed in the Jail • Anxiety • Panic Disorder • Major Depression • Substance abuse and dependence • Personality disorders • Psychotic disorders • Eating Disorders • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

  28. 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

  29. “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.

  30. 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

  31. Seeking Safety • Guiding Principles of Seeking Safety: • 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

  32. Seeking Safety • Four content areas: • Cognitive • Behavioral • Interpersonal • Case management

  33. 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

  34. 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): 281-300.

  35. PRIDE Challenges • Jail logistics (time and space) • Classification issues • No individual counseling position yet

  36. 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

  37. Future Needs • Caseworker • Research • Increased transitional mentoring for reentry • Skilled job training opportunities

  38. Recommendations • Compare similar jails (not to prisons) • Have meeting will all departmental leaders together • Create strong relationships with community agencies and volunteers

  39. 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 Gender-Responsive Programs the End the Cycle of Abuse.

  40. Video

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