Improving the Odds: Women in Community Corrections

Published in November of 2004 by the Women’s Prison Association & Home

Women represent a small but fast-growing segment of the prison population, primarily charged with non-violent offenses and generally posing little risk to public safety. They face numerous challenges, including poverty, substance abuse, homelessness, and chronic health issues, often linked to trauma and high rates of victimization. The impact of their incarceration extends to their children and communities.

This paper explores a model that connects formerly incarcerated women to their communities and families, through alternatives to incarceration and reentry support. Achieving this can reduce recidivism rates, improve outcomes for women and their families, and provide a potentially effective approach for men as well. By redirecting resources into community-based interventions that combine correctional supervision with wrap-around case management, women will reach stability and self-sufficiency. This paper is informed by the work of the Women’s Prison Association, which provides services to thousands of women and their families annually.

Read the full report below and download the file at the link provided.

This report was presented at the Annual Conference of the American Society of Criminology.