U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Washington Female Offender Reentry Programs Combine Transitional Services With Residential Parenting

NCJ Number
207655
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 66 Issue: 6 Dated: October 2004 Pages: 82-83,87
Author(s)
Larry M. Fehr
Date Published
October 2004
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes Washington State's transitional services for female offenders re-entering the community after incarceration.
Abstract
The State has two work-release programs that exclusively serve women and their children. The women reside with their children in two residential homes, one near downtown Seattle and the other across the State in Spokane. Supervised and guided by trained staff, the women and their children benefit from structured case management based on risk/need assessment, an employment search, counseling, and job placement. All residents must be employed within about 2 weeks of entering the home. Chemical dependency services are provided both outside the home and through 12-step programs inside the home. The Residential Parenting Program accommodates a limited number of children (two to six) at any one time. For those mothers whose children do not reside in the home, a Child Visit Program is offered for mothers who pass a background check and are enrolled in a parenting class. The women first have supervised visits with their children before progressing to unsupervised visits. Program outcomes are measured through satisfaction surveys, successful community releases, and random drug and alcohol testing. 7 notes