Mentoring has become increasingly popular in recent years in the criminal justice system, and has been recommended by the Scottish Government as a service that can address the specific ‘needs’ of women who offend. Despite the popularity of mentoring, there has been limited evidence to suggest that it reduces reoffending of women, or facilitates significant changes in their lives. In addition, there has been a lack of clarity around the definition of mentoring, including role definition, the extent of intensive support offered and the key aims of the service. This thesis (in collaboration with Sacro and the University of Stirling), explores the experiences of women who have accessed the Sacro Women’s Mentoring Service and accounts from mentors and staff to establish what the key aims and processes of mentoring are, alongside a critique of whether this offers an approach that can address key issues related to the marginalisation of these women. Findings from the data revealed that mentoring consisted of practical support, helping women to respond to difficulties related to poverty and their disadvantaged circumstances generally. The most common outcomes for women were: engagement with agencies; increases in confidence and self-esteem and improvements in emotional well-being. The rhetoric of mentoring offered by mentors and staff suggested that mentoring was based on an individualistic approach that contained responsibilising strategies, aimed at helping women to make improved choices and become responsible citizens. In practice, however, mentors were helping women to resolve issues related to the welfare system and other services outwith the criminal justice system. Many mentors and staff viewed mentoring as role modelling, however, women who accessed the service were more likely to view their mentor as a friend and ‘someone to talk to’ suggesting that the relationship was not an opportunity for women to model the behaviours of their mentor, but as emotional support and a release from their social isolation. This disconnect was also reflected in ‘imaginary penalities’ which were observed, such as staff completing paperwork they did not view as relevant to the service they delivered or staff being sent on training that they could not apply to the work they delivered on a day to day basis. This may be a result of the increasing marketisation of mentoring within the criminal justice system. Those services labelled as ‘mentoring’ may be more likely to gain funding as it is a service that is currently favoured by statutory funders in Scotland. If positive outcomes of mentoring are viewed by policy makers to be the result of an individualistic approach, and not mentors addressing problems outwith the criminal justice system, as best as they can, then this takes responsibility away from the state to make changes to policy. It also places unrealistic expectations on mentors to make significant changes to the lives of women in an environment of continuing funding cuts to welfare and services.

For now several years, many researchers have emphasized the importance and effectiveness of parole in the reintegration process of offenders, especially in reducing recidivism rates. A review of the existing literature revealed that, although little was known about conditional release decision-making in general, there was a flagrant lack of scientific knowledge pertaining to conditional release decisions regarding women offenders incarcerated in Canada. Using a constructionist theoretical framework and qualitative thematic analysis, this research aimed to understand which “factors” were documented by the Parole Board of Canada’s (PBC) Board members in their written parole decisions for federally incarcerated women in Canada who were serving a sentence of five years or more, between 2005 and 2015. The findings ultimately showed that, despite the implementation of more stringent government policies based on risk management, the PBC’s Board members seem to have retained their concern of promoting the reintegration of women offenders in their parole decisions. The analysis revealed that the Board members have indeed continued to place great emphasis on the women’s potential for change through a discretionary assessment of their dynamic factors. This seemingly more reintegrative vision nevertheless remains marked by the risk management approach, which raises questions about the way Board members interpret and evaluate the specific needs of the women and their potential for reintegration.

Syftet med följande studie har varit att undersöka hur yrkesverksamma inom Kriminalvården arbetar med kvinnliga klienter för att förebygga återfall i kriminalitet samt fortsatt brottslighet. Studien har baserats på tre kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med yrkesverksamma inom Kriminalvården, samtliga kvinnor. Insamlat material har analyserats utifrån ett genusperspektiv. Från resultatet går att finna att Kriminalvården anpassats till att insatser ska utformas utifrån den enskilde individen och dennes förutsättningar. Resultaten visar också att det finns en medvetenhet inom Kriminalvården vad gäller könsroller, även om de fortsatt existerar precis som i övriga samhället. Slutsatserna är att med en större medvetenhet om dessa förhållanden kan också de vardagliga antaganden som görs utifrån individers kön synliggöras vilket därmed skulle leda till vinster för den dömde kvinnan såtillvida att adekvata insatser sätts in vilket även skulle gynna samhället i stort. Vid analys av studien framkom även behov av att i framtiden undersöka huruvida individuella insatser än mer kan anpassas till kvinnor för att förhindra återfall i brott men också för att stärka dem för fortsatt leverne i samhället utan brottslighet.

A multi-method study investigating incarcerated women’s experiences of rage towards their intimate partners was conducted. The sample was drawn from a Philadelphia prison's recovery unit for women. Phenomenological and feminist critical theory perspectives guided the study; these combined approaches captured the essence of rage, while also offering a critical analysis for understanding complexities involved in the cultivation of rage. Three primary forms of data collection methods were used: (a) the Aggression Questionnaire, which was completed by 60 inmates; (b) a Demographic Worksheet, which was completed by 46 inmates and used to screen for subsequent interviews; and (c) in-depth interviews, which was completed by 37 women. Focus groups were used to debrief participants at the completion of the study. Results indicated rage as a distinct experience from anger. Past sources of emotional pain, embedded within shame and trauma, were revealed as fueling current actions of rage. Links between women's social location, their experiences of rage, and their involvement within the criminal justice system were revealed. / Ph. D.

Although women offenders face barriers to successful reentry into their communities, as yet, no research has explored their experiences in accessing health care reentry services. Medicaid enrollment, the process of applying for Medicaid coverage, can be offered as a health care reentry service. Women offenders in jails have shorter sentencing times compared to those in prison, which presents Medicaid enrollment opportunities before release. The Second Chance Act provides the opportunity for reentry services, and the Affordable Care Act provides the opportunity for Medicaid coverage for women offenders. This phenomenological study explored the attitudes of women offenders about Medicaid enrollment and coverage. The conceptual framework for this study was the Andersen's behavioral model. Interviews were conducted with 11 women offenders who were randomly recruited, spoke English, had a minimum of a 6th grade education, and were not on restriction based on jail policy. Data were collected and coded to develop themes for analysis and interpretation. Most participants had an adequate understanding of the purpose of Medicaid coverage and had favorable perceptions of Medicaid enrollment. Barriers to Medicaid enrollment were identified: a lack of language proficiency, denial of coverage, poor health literacy, and a lack of understanding of health information. Facilitators to Medicaid enrollment were identified: providing a translator, being treated with respect as a person to reduce stigma, and assistance with enrollment forms. These findings can contribute to positive social change. Jails have the chance to address these barriers and incorporate the facilitators to make it simpler for women offenders to enroll in Medicaid before released from jail.