Supportive housing as an alternative to imprisonment
(Rule 64, Chapter 1)
Drew House in New York, USA, is a partnership between the local District Attorney’s Office and a non-profit supportive housing provider, which allows women charged with their first non-violent felony offence to fulfil the Court’s mandates while living with their children in a supportive housing apartment. Drew House offers a rehabilitative environment that focuses on family stability, counselling, job training, and other support services. It is also a permanent supportive housing programme, meaning that women who have completed their court mandates are welcome to stay for as long as they want to.
In response to the serious impediments that a felony charge presents to future employment and housing opportunities, felony charges are expunged after completion of the programme to prevent future disenfranchisement. Allowing women to reside in Drew House with their children has been found to have strengthened families without compromising public safety.
For more information see:
https://housingplusnyc.org/drew-house-alternative-to-incarceration/
‘Evaluation of a Supportive Housing Alternative to Incarceration for Women Charged with a Felony and Their Children’ by Lorie S. Goshin et al.
Developing gender-responsive risk and needs assessment tools
(Rules 40–41, Chapter 7)
Recognising that women have very different pathways to prison than men and that traditional assessment tools are male-oriented, the Women’s Risk Needs Assessment (WRNA) was developed in the US by the National Institute of Corrections in cooperation with the University of Cincinnati. The WRNA comprises gender-responsive risk and needs assessment tools designed to respond to the specific needs of women in criminal justice systems, taking into account their distinct biological, social and psychological attributes. They include a case file review, a semi-structured interview, a written survey and a case management treatment plan tailored to women.
Overall, the WRNA has been effective at predicting women’s recidivism and other re-offending behaviour, indicating that the WRNA is a valid tool for classifying adult women in prison. Specifically, items on the WRNA showed statistically significant positive correlations with measures of re-incarceration, technical violations, new arrests, and new convictions.
For more information see:
https://socialwork.utah.edu/research/ucjc/wrna/index.php
Blog: ‘The Women’s Risk Needs Assessment: Putting Gender at the Forefront of Actuarial Risk Assessment’, Breanna Boppre and Emily Salisbury for PRI
Girls in conflict with the law
(Rules 36-39, 65, 70, Chapters 1, 9 and 11)
In Hawaii, a focus on rehabilitation and development of community-based alternatives for girls and young women has resulted in there being no females between the ages of 15 and 24 left in the prison system. The state’s Department of Health implemented Project Kealahou, aimed at keeping “at-risk” youth from engaging in behaviours that lead to imprisonment through community-based services like peer mentoring and therapeutic interventions to address prevalent trauma in at-risk girls. The programme incorporated trauma-informed care, recognising the impact of trauma on incarcerated youth and promoting guidelines for respectful interactions between caregivers, justice system officials, therapists, and detained people. As a result, there were significant improvements in the young detainees’ mental health and emotional well-being.
The programme’s interventions were strengthened by a partnership with non-governmental organisations to analyse state data to identify the reasons for girls’ incarceration, primarily misdemeanours or probation violations related to survival on the streets. Counsellors and previously incarcerated young women were also involved in the rehabilitation efforts, offering mentorship and sharing personal experiences to support the girls in transitioning out of jail. This success story from Hawaii can serve as a model for other states seeking to implement alternatives to traditional punitive approaches and address the specific needs of girls in the juvenile justice system.
For more information see ‘How Hawaii brought its population of girls in prison to zero’
Trauma-informed support
(Rules 45 – 47, Chapter 7)
The Home Free project is a unique transitional housing programme designed to assist domestic violence survivors who have faced criminalisation and prison. Its goal is to help these women reintegrate into communities and thrive. It offers trauma-informed survivor empowerment programmes, which equip formerly incarcerated women with the necessary tools to navigate modern-day life. These programmes encompass financial and technology literacy, job training, computer classes, as well as physical, emotional, and spiritual counselling and healing. In addition, the survivors have the opportunity to participate in yoga classes, receive nutritional guidance, and explore the world beyond their previous experiences, including trips to places like Muir Woods, the beach, and parts of San Francisco.
Home Free also emphasises the importance of raising awareness about the experiences of women who have survived abuse and violence throughout different stages, from before incarceration to their post-prison life. This awareness is crucial to achieving the mission of Home Free, which includes supporting domestic violence services, educating the community about coercive control, and providing transitional housing and support for survivors still awaiting release from prison.
For more information see Creating a home for women who are experiencing freedom for the first time in decades.