Keeping Score 1998

Drug Strategies

Keeping Score 1998

Criminal Justice Programs

Nationwide
Mother and Child Reunions
The number of women imprisoned for drug-related crimes is rising, and most of them have children under 18. But distance and costs often prevent these children from visiting their incarcerated mothers, and the separation can lead to anxiety and trauma for the youngsters. In November 1992, Girl Scouts USA joined forces with the Maryland Department of Corrections and a local church to develop Girl Scouts Beyond Bars, an outreach program for the daughters of female inmates. By enrolling in the program, Girl Scouts with incarcerated mothers receive transportation, organizational affiliation and emotional support-key resources for girls at risk of following in their mothers' footsteps. Girls visit their mothers inside the correctional facilities two Saturdays per month and meet with troop leaders on alternative Saturdays. They also participate in regular scouting activities, including weekly meetings and camping trips. The program, which has attracted state, local and private funding, has established 19 chapters in 15 states. In the two sites that have been evaluated, the program increased visitation rates by 31 percent. Stress and disciplinary problems among children also declined. Girl Scouts Beyond Bars has been honored with many awards, including two from the governors of Florida and Texas. To find out more, call (202) 514-6205.

Syracuse, New York
Training for Judges
Few substance abuse treatment programs for women offenders meet their complex treatment needs. In recent years, innovative efforts have emerged to improve the situation through judicial education. In 1997, the National Association of Women Judges published Judicial Considerations When Sentencing Pregnant Substance Users. Similarly, the Center for Community Alternatives in Syracuse is designing a training curriculum to get female offenders into treatment. Funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Center for Community Alternatives will conduct training seminars for New York State judges, court and treatment personnel about the gender-specific needs of female offenders. The curriculum will include case studies of addicted women, following their progress from arrest through treatment. The Center will work with at least 100 judges in 1999. The project will use Crossroads (the Center's community-based drug treatment program) as a model. For more information, contact the Center for Community Alternatives at (315) 422-5638 or Crossroads at (212) 691-1911.

California
Cleaning Up While Doing Time
Women behind bars in California can turn their lives around in an intensive, four- to six-month treatment program called Forever Free from Drugs and Crime. The California Department of Corrections and Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs began this program in 1991 at the California Institute for Women in Frontera. Today, women from any of the state's prisons can apply six months before their release. Forever Free participants live in a separate 240-bed housing unit and receive treatment four hours a day, five days a week. Counseling, relapse prevention, problem solving, resocialization and 12-step groups are all part of the program. Counselors also help the women with such issues as dependency, physical and sexual abuse and parenting. Upon release, the women receive after-care planning and placement in a residential or outpatient treatment program to help ensure a successful transition back into society. The program serves 320 clients a year with a dropout rate of just 7 percent. A 1996 outcome study conducted by the University of California- LosAngeles found that the longer a woman remained in Forever Free, the greater her chances of staying out of jail. The study suggested that women should be in the program for at least five months. For more information, call the California Department of Corrections' Office of Substance Abuse Programs at (916) 327-3707.

California
A House for Everyone
Every day more than 600 people receive some sort of service from Walden House, a multifaceted drug treatment organization serving the San Francisco Bay area. Walden House offers services for HIV-positive women including safe housing and detoxification, residential drug treatment, group and individual therapy, nutritional counseling, and alternative healing techniques. Walden House is involved in a number of criminal justice programs, including Sister South located at the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco. The program provides substance abuse treatment to 80 women. Walden House also provides outpatient service to individuals sentenced through the Bay Area Drug Court. In 1994, more than 731 clients successfully completed treatment. For more details about Walden House or the Sister South program, call (415) 554-1100.

Washington, DC
Preventing Abuses Among FemaleInmates
At least half of all women in state prisons suffer from alcohol or drug abuse, and up to 88 percent are victims of domestic violence and sexual or other physical abuse. Unfortunately, female inmates are also commonly abused while inside many of these prisons. Recognizing the threat to incarcerated women, the National Women's Law Center, a nonprofit legal advocacy group, created the DC Prisoners' Legal Services Project in 1990. By empowering women with education and legal advocacy, the program helps end the cycle of drug addiction and the sexual and physical abuse of women in prison. In 1995, the DC Prisoners' Legal Services Project published a resource guide for incarcerated women, followed by a 1998 manual entitled An End to Silence: A Women Prisoners' Handbook on Identifying and Addressing Sexual Misconduct. The first of its kind, the handbook informs incarcerated women across the U.S. about accessible legal services and information about inappropriate sexual conduct in prisons. To date, the project has provided free legal counseling and advocacy to more than 1,500 women incarcerated by the District of Columbia Department of Corrections and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Funding is currently being sought to continue the project. For more information, call (202) 775-0323.

New York, New York
Extending Hope to Imprisoned Women
New York State has one of the largest female prison populations in the country. The majority of these women are incarcerated for drug-related, nonviolent crimes, and about 80 percent have histories of substance abuse. Through life-skills training, family reunification and transitional living, the Women's Prison Association (WPA) helps women in New York's criminal justice system transform their lives and those of their families. Of WPA's many programs, two have specifically focused on substance abuse. Until recently, the Hopper Home Alternative to Incarceration Program provided supervision and treatment services for drug-addicted women while they rebuilt connections with their children and community. Established in 1992, the program was replaced with a male-focused program in 1997. The cost of participating in Hopper Home was approximately half the cost of a jail or prison term. Ninety percent of residential clients completed the program, and nearly all of them remained drug-free. The WPA's other substance abuse program, the Sarah Powell Huntington House, continues to offer support for homeless mothers leaving incarceration. This program provides transitional housing and family reunification services, including the return of children in foster care to their mothers. To learn more about the Women's Prison Association, call (212) 674-1163.

Next Section

Spotlight | Methadone Maintenance Treatment | Welfare Reform and Drug Abuse
Women and Drug Abuse: Court Innovations

Programs | Prevention Programs | Pregnant and Parenting Women's Programs
Family Treatment Programs| Criminal Justice Programs

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