Pamela J. Schram

Supervision Strategies and Approaches for Female Parolees: Examining the Link Between Unmet Needs and Parolee Outcome

A number of parolees are returning to the community with programming needs that may not have been addressed during their incarceration; these unmet needs may subsequently affect their successful reintegration into the community. Although there is an increasing female parole population, there has been a paucity of research concerning female parolees. The current study examines the types of needs identified at intake from a sample of 546 female parolees. The results revealed the following. First, if a parolee was employed, had stable living arrangements, and was assessed as needing and receiving some type of drug and/or alcohol program intervention, she was less likely to fail on parole. Second, many of these women were underassessed for having needs for drug and alcohol treatment as well as employment, housing, and other assistance. This underassessment may be because of an increasing emphasis on parole supervision (i.e., custody) rather than treatment in parole agencies.

The prevalence and nature of violent offending by females

The purpose of the current study was to examine the nature and prevalence of violent offending by females. Using National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) data from 1998, this study examined the relationship between cooffending and type of offense as well as the type of weapon(s) used during violent incidents and the race of the perpetrators. The findings suggest that females are more likely to be involved in aggravated assaults compared with robberies and murder or nonnegligent manslaughter. This is particularly true for females who commit their violent crimes alone. When females cooffend with other females or males, however, they are more likely to commit robberies. Overall females are more likely to be involved in violent incidents where either personal weapons or knives are used. When females cooffend with males, however, more likely to be involved in incidents with guns. Finally, the current study found that Black females were more likely to commit violent offenses with other females, whereas White females were more likely to commit violent offenses with males.

An exploratory study: Stereotypes about mothers in prison

Abstract According to a 1991 report of the Bureau of Justice Statistics, over three-quarters of incarcerated women have children. In most instances, prior to incarceration these women were the primary caretakers. Several criminologists have argued that the correctional system provides minimal emotional support for incarcerated mothers to maintain ties with their children. Stereotypes about the ideal mother may hinder such support. There is a paucity of research, however, that distinctly examines who stereotypes whom as well as how these stereotypes affect behavior. This lack of understanding makes it difficult to determine how stereotypes influence correctional programming and practices. This exploratory study focused on stereotypes about incarcerated mothers. Attitudes pertaining to such stereotypes were compared between four groups: (1) female inmates, (2) peer counselors, (3) correctional officers, and (4) prison program staff. Group membership was significantly related to three of the attitudinal measures. Behavioral measures hypothesized to be related to these attitudes were also measured (i.e., the likelihood to perform certain acts rather than actual or overt behaviors). Additional analyses examined the relation between attitudes and behavioral intentions.

Management Strategies When Working with Female Prisoners

Abstract Scholars and practitioners have noted the potential for using understanding and language about the unique needs of women offenders to justify special controls over them in the prison setting. Using data from a national study of innovative management and programming strategies among correctional administrators, the present research examines management approaches needed for women, with a focus on the degree to which some administrators use stereotypes and/or perceived needs of women offenders in their rationale for choosing particular management strategies. Approximately 80 percent of the respondents reported that there is a need to use different management techniques for male and female prisoners. About half of these respondents noted that these differing management techniques are related to interpersonal skills and communication followed by programming needs and differences in general needs.

Examining Delinquent Nongang Members and Delinquent Gang Members A Comparison of Juvenile Probationers at Intake and Outcomes

This study examines differences between juvenile gang and nongang members participating in a juvenile probation program designed to identify and intervene with youth considered to be high risk for subsequent criminal and delinquent activity. After participating in the Multidisciplinary Team Program, both gang and nongang members significantly improved their grade point average, lowered the number of classes missed, and reduced the number of suspensions. Both groups also improved on family functioning and a decrease in reported alcohol and substance abuse. There were also improvements for gang and nongang members concerning subsequent delinquent activity. The results suggest that at some levels, gang affiliation is not an impediment to treatment programming. A limitation to the study was that gang membership was based on self-report and law enforcement identification, which results in false positive and false negative designations. Additionally, the nongang group may have included youths who escaped being identified as gang members.

Does Race Matter? Examining the Relationship Between Co-Offending and Victim Characteristics for Violent Incidents Involving Female Offenders

Using National Incident-Based Reporting System data from 1998, the current study examines important factors concerning the situational context of violent incidents. First, the study explores the relationship between co-offending groups and several victim-related measures. Second, the study uses an intersectional approach to determine the extent to which these relationships may or may not be conditioned by offender(s) race. Two findings are notable in terms of offending differences among females: (a) race conditioned the relationship between offending group and victim(s) sex for robbery incidents and (b) race conditioned the relationship between offending group and the social distance between victim(s) and perpetrator(s) for aggravated assaults.

Comparing the Effects of Treatment on Female Juvenile Gang and Non-Gang Members

Abstract Most research indicates that males comprise the greatest proportion of gang members. Since the 1990s, however, there has been an increasing interest in female gangs and gang members. The current study builds on this research interest by examining differences between female gang members and non-gang members who participated in a juvenile probation program designed to identify and intervene with youth considered to be high risk for subsequent criminal and delinquent activity. The results of a logistic regression analysis revealed that two factors significantly influenced a female offenders likelihood of being rearrested: she did not complete the program, and she did not live with her natural parent(s). We conclude that the significant results do support findings from previous research in this area; we also discuss possible explanations as to why other factors were not significantly related to rearrests.

Book Review: The Criminals of Lima and Their Worlds: The Prison Experience, 1850-1935

Carlos Aguirre examines the development of institutions of confinement for male offenders in Lima, Peru, between 1850 and 1935. The material for this book is based primarily on an unused collection of documents from institutions of confinement as well as various administrative organizations associated with the Peruvian prison network. This examination contextualizes these institutions of confinement by providing readers with an understanding of essential historical issues that shaped various aspects of Peruvian society, including prisons. By contextualizing the prisons in Peru, Carlos Aguirre provides a more insightful understanding of these institutions and their prisoners. The book is organized into three parts. The first part, “Apprehending the Criminal,” contextualizes these institutions of confinement by exploring essential societal factors that greatly influenced how offenders were punished in Peru. A key aspect to this contextual perspective is what Aguirre identifies as the “criminal question.” The criminal question connects “crime with certain plebeian forms of socialization and culture, or as frequently happened, by explaining crime as the inevitable result of those cultural forms . . . a problem associated only with the lower classes of society” (p. 19). Thus, to understand prisons, one needs to understand the intersection of race, class, and urban development. This section then explores how the early developments in explaining criminal behavior shaped policy concerning offenders. Specifically, based on their “scientific findings,” physicians, hygienists, and criminologists argued that there was a distinct criminal class. These “facts” further enhanced policy to focus on offender characteristics rather than social characteristics. Finally, Aguirre focuses on the criminal justice system within this societal context by specifically examining the police; he argues that the police helped to reinforce the perception of the “criminal class” by targeting certain segments of Peruvian society. The remaining two parts of the text focus specifically on prisons. The second part, “Prisons and Prison Communities,” provides readers with a general discussion on the development of Peruvian prisons with a specific emphasis on the Lima penitentiary, the Guadalupe jail, and El Frontón Penal Island. Aguirre examines the various types of male inmates incarcerated in these institutions. A key distinction, which influenced the prison environment, was between political prisoners and common criminals. Aguirre stresses the importance of realizing that the prisoners included a diverse group of individuals from different social, racial, regional, legal, and political backgrounds. The third part, “The World They Made Together,” provides an interesting look at how these prisoners interacted on a daily basis. Aguirre illustrates how the prisoners employed various approaches to cope with the realities of their incarceration. He identifies these adaptations as the “customary order.” Specifically, this involves the prisoners engaging “in types of relations that contributed to the building of a different type of order . . . resulting from the series of negotiations, transactions, and mutual accommodations between inmates and prison officials and guards” (p. 144). Another interesting facet of prisoners adapting to these institutions of confinement was the emergence of prison subcultures. This section also examines such issues as protests and prisoners’ rights. In the concluding chapter, Aguirre provides an insightful summary of institutions of confinement in Peru. He notes that studies of prisons worldwide have revealed their oppressive and inhumane treatment of individuals within that society. He further maintains that his study of prisons in Peru, however, is not just to validate such observations. Rather, it is essential to study prisons because