Available Treatments for Substance Abuse
One major problem plaguing women in prison is the use of illegal substances from alcohol all the way to hard drugs like heroin. Researchers Harrison and Beck in a 2001 study found that 20 percent of all incarcerated women had been imprisoned for illegal substance abuse (Treatment Improvement Protocol). In a related study researchers concluded that 75 percent of all women incarcerated had a history of lifetime substance abuse or dependence disorders (Treatment Improvement Protocol). This has caused prisons throughout the United States to incorporated programs that helps these women cope with the problem of substance abuse. Women that get incarcerated for substance abuse will sometimes be placed into programs towards the end of their sentence. This is the route many prisons are going because it allows the offender to get treatment for their problem and helps reduce recidivism rates. One program that has been instituted for women substance abuse offenders is the Forever Free Program. This was one of the first comprehensive based programs to be installed in women prisons in the United States. The program itself has two …show more content…
Their growth in the criminal justice system has raised concern over the effectiveness of certain programs for women. Studies have shown that prison programs primarily work under male populations, since they have been the most prevalent gender in the prison system. An ideal prison program would meet gender based needs. This is where most prison systems are lacking. There are a few approaches that need to be taken in order to have a successful prison system for female inmates. These include recognizing gender based needs, develop a screening process for recognizing the issues at hand, prioritizing treatments for the most common disorders or issues, and integrating different treatments for interrelated
One major problem plaguing women in prison is the use of illegal substances from alcohol all the way to hard drugs like heroin. Researchers Harrison and Beck in a 2001 study found that 20 percent of all incarcerated women had been imprisoned for illegal substance abuse (Treatment Improvement Protocol). In a related study researchers concluded that 75 percent of all women incarcerated had a history of lifetime substance abuse or dependence disorders (Treatment Improvement Protocol). This has caused prisons throughout the United States to incorporated programs that helps these women cope with the problem of substance abuse. Women that get incarcerated for substance abuse will sometimes be placed into programs towards the end of their sentence. This is the route many prisons are going because it allows the offender to get treatment for their problem and helps reduce recidivism rates. One program that has been instituted for women substance abuse offenders is the Forever Free Program. This was one of the first comprehensive based programs to be installed in women prisons in the United States. The program itself has two …show more content…
Their growth in the criminal justice system has raised concern over the effectiveness of certain programs for women. Studies have shown that prison programs primarily work under male populations, since they have been the most prevalent gender in the prison system. An ideal prison program would meet gender based needs. This is where most prison systems are lacking. There are a few approaches that need to be taken in order to have a successful prison system for female inmates. These include recognizing gender based needs, develop a screening process for recognizing the issues at hand, prioritizing treatments for the most common disorders or issues, and integrating different treatments for interrelated