Essay on Women in Corrections

Modern women prisons provide a wide range of both prevention and rehabilitation programs. Among the common prevention programs are substance abuse prevention and suicide prevention. Regarding substance abuse, women are trained on basics and effects of drug abuse and how they can prevent them using peer-led approach. Women are offered visits by visits by government officials who counsel them concerning HIV prevention and other risky behaviors. Suicide prevention, on the other hand, entails giving physical and mental support to women to minimize cases of suicide inside and outside the prison facilities. Counseling is offered by trained correctional staff who screens women prisoners and communicates to stressed inmates (New Substance Abuse Program Helps Rehab Female Offenders, 2018).

Other than prevention programs, the prisons offer rehabilitation programs for women prisoners. Education and work programs are the primary rehabilitation programs that aim at giving them skills and expertise in various jobs. Women are employed in prison industries to enable them to develop work habits and skills that will help them acquire job opportunities after finishing jail term. Moreover, the women inmates are offered educational courses and vocational training that enable them to acquire certificates, licenses or knowledge such as computer skills (Bartollas & Siegel, 1983). These will ultimately help them after being released from the correctional facility.

Psychological programs are also offered to women to ensure they receive appropriate clinical care and mental treatment. Managing their psychology helps in minimizing their criminality and reduces cases of suicidal ideation among women. Lastly, the prisons offer contemplative programs such as classes for yoga, meditation and contemplative prayer to ensure women inmates reduce their stress and aggression and develop acceptable behavior. In addition to that, it helps in increasing their self-awareness and reducing the rate of hopelessness. These rehabilitation and prevention programs are however not enough because of several cases of criminality after inmates left prison. Many prisons need follow-up programs to ensure their inmates use their acquired skills effectively and offer both physical and mental support (Women in Corrections, 2018).

Women inmates should be treated differently from their male counterparts. This is because they are different from men and find prison harder in various ways. Many women are more likely to develop mental problems in prisons than men. Furthermore, they are likely to experience sexual abuse by both warders and fellow inmates hence they require special support than men.

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References

Bartollas, C., & Siegel, L. (1983). Corrections Today (4th ed.). Boston: Cengage Learning.

BC Corrections - Women in Corrections. (2018). YouTube. Retrieved 10 January 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSRAErWYKfM

New Substance Abuse Program Helps Rehab Female Offenders. (2018). YouTube. Retrieved 10 January 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-042I7NeD8