Recidivism in American Women

In this essay, the author

• Explains that recidivism is a growing distress in the u.s today, not only with men but women as well.
• Opines that women who recidivate have many effects on the community, family members, and friends. many of these women have been exposed to communicable diseases and other medical, educational and economic needs not adequately addressed during incarceration.
• Opines that drug addiction should be a part of the numerous programs offered in jails so the addicted women can wean off the drugs and be healthy again.
• Explains that many people see jail as a negative impact on the men and women who get sentenced while others view the jail experience differently.
• Opines that if more programs were developed in prison to get women an education or trained on the skills they need to obtain a job it would make that process less of an issue.
• Opines that the older you are, the more likely you will revert back to crime if that was your behavior while you were younger. diversion programs are needed because they would focus on the issue when the women are younger by molding and shaping them into individuals that will not commit crime.
• Opines that if women have a house and bills to pay, they will stay out of trouble to maintain that goal of ownership and belonging.
• Opines that older offender can spend more time in the prison system and take advantage of the programs they offer to better themselves and are less likely to recidivate.
• Opines that improving the vocational skills of incarcerated women reduces recidivism.
• Opines that establishing what is accepted in society and legal versus illegal will make women's judgment process more thorough, decreasing the chance of making bad decisions and reverting back to illegal activity.
• Explains that a community-based service is cost-effective and less effective than judicial alternatives. it lowers recidivism rates and reduces probation adjudications.
• Explains that in prisons, it is the occupation of many women and men to incorporate change, better decision making skills, rehabilitation and a multitude of support in order to change the women so they don't relapse back to crime, drugs or what else got them there.
• Opines that screening and treatment programs for women with substance abuse tendencies should be more visible in the jails; they are often limited and/or not available.
• Opines that incarcerated women need mental health programs based on feminist critical theory that requires raising awareness of the oppression in one’s life, environment, and society.
• Explains that some mothers do not recidivate because they have children and fear losing them. they use their children as motivation to stay out of crime.
• Argues that a systematic, and standardized form of treatment services and programs need to be available and visible in the societies and prisons in order to lessen the recidivism rate in women.
• Explains that recidivism and rehabilitation of criminal offenders: a carrot and stick evolutionary game.
• Analyzes spjeldnes, jung, maguire, & yamatani's research on positive family social support, counteracting negative effects of mental illness and substance abuse to reduce jail ex-inmate recidivism rates.
• Explains stuart, b., and brice-baker, j. correlates of higher rates of recidivism in female prisoners: an exploratory study.