1st Edition

Female Offenders and Reentry Pathways and Barriers to Returning to Society

Edited By Lisa M. Carter, Catherine D. Marcum Copyright 2018
    350 Pages
    by Routledge

    350 Pages
    by Routledge

    Often, research concerning the female offender is scarce. This book adds to the criminological literature on the topic of reentry for women, focusing on the barriers women face as they return to society and adjust to life after incarceration. Each chapter addresses specific issues, challenges, and obstacles affiliated with the hindrance of successful reentry processes associated with female offenders, as well as data-driven empirical studies.

    While corrections has often misunderstood or overlooked the needs of returning offenders, the shortcomings of the institutions have a greater impact on women than on their male counterparts, particularly regarding the occurrence of social and medical problems, especially those related to mental health and substance abuse. Female Offenders and Reentry helps criminal justice students and practitioners see the full picture when considering the challenges faced by female offenders reintegrating into society.

    Chapter 1: Introduction

    Catherine D. Marcum and Lisa M. Carter

    Chapter 2: Transportation Issues

    Miriam Northcutt Bohmert

    Chapter 3: Physical Health Needs and Treatment for Female Offenders Returning to Society

    Valerie R. Anderson and Shabnam Javdani

    Chapter 4: Mental Health Needs and Treatment

    Kyle C. Ward and Mary K. Evans

    Case Study 4A: Female Offenders, Mental Illness, and Recidivism: An Examination of Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders Among a Sample of Female Parolees Released to the City of Philadelphia

    Kimberly Houser and Eric S. McCord

    Chapter 5: Women With Substance Use Disorders Reentering the Community

    Wendy P. Guastaferro and Laura Lutgen

    Case Study 5A: Women Offenders and Drug Courts: Does Gender Matter?

    Kimberly Houser and Christine Saum

    Chapter 6: Reproductive Health Needs and Treatment

    Jennifer Mooney and Aalap Bommaraju

    Chapter 7: Educational and Vocational Attainment During Reintegration

    Linda Keena and Ashley Hluska

    Chapter 8: Having to Check Yes: The Stigma of a Criminal Record and Other Challenges to Obtaining Meaningful Employment for Released Female Offenders

    Kerry Richmond

    Chapter 9: Centering Women’s Reentry With Safe, Secure, and Affordable Housing

    Faith Lutze and Jenny Lau

    Chapter 10: Reunification With Family and Children During the Reentry Process

    Suzanne M. Godboldt

    Chapter 11: Female Sex Offenders and Reintegration

    Jennifer Klein and Danielle Cooper

    Chapter 12: Making It on the Outside: Reintegration Challenges of Girls and Women of Color

    Vera Lopez and Lisa Pasko

    Chapter 13: Wrongful Convictions

    Kaitlyn Clarke and Philip D. McCormack

    Chapter 14: Future Directions/Best Practices

    Lindsey Vigesaa

    Case Study 14A: Desistance from Crime During Reintegration

    Kecia R. Johnson and Dave C. May

    Biography

    Dr. Lisa M. Carter is an assistant professor in the Criminology Department at Florida Southern College. She also teaches courses for the Women and Gender Studies program. She earned her B.A. in Sociology with a specialization in Deviant Behavior from the University of Kentucky, and her M.S. in Corrections and Juvenile Justice Studies from Eastern Kentucky University. She completed her Ph.D. in Criminology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests include topics pertaining to female criminality, reintegration, and the death penalty.

    Dr. Catherine D. Marcum is an associate professor of Justice Studies at Appalachian State University. Her areas of expertise include cybercrime offending and victimization, correctional issues, and sexual victimization, and she has multiple journal publications and books in the areas. She recently received 2015 Outstanding Criminal Justice Educator of the Year in the southern region, and is the editor of Corrections: Policy, Practice and Research for 2018–2021.

    Finally—a comprehensive text that covers all aspects of the challenges faced by female offenders in their reentry journeys. Featuring evidence-based research, current demographic and trend data, policy and best practices analyses, and in-depth case studies, this monograph provides insightful examinations of critical gender barriers to societal reintegration—transportation, housing, employment, issues of chronic illness and reproductive health, mental health and substance abuse disorders, and child reunification.
    Rosemary Gido, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

    The editors have put together a well-balanced collection of chapters that discuss in depth the multiple problems female ex-offenders face when returning to their communities. This text provides an excellent forum for discussion on the topic of female offenders and reentry that will leave students as well as policy makers and educators thinking about how they can effect change.
    Danielle McDonald, Northern Kentucky University

    In Female Offenders and Reentry, Carter and Marcum have expertly conveyed the challenges facing women as they work towards reestablishing a life outside of prison. This compelling and comprehensive text is essential to understanding the contemporary female reentry experience.
    Ashley G. Blackburn, University of Houston–Downtown