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Beyond Gender Responsivity: Considering Differences Among Community Dwelling Women Involved in the Criminal Justice System and Those Involved in Treatment

NCJ Number
219716
Journal
Women & Criminal Justice Volume: 17 Issue: 2/3 Dated: 2006 Pages: 75-94
Author(s)
Sheryl Pimlott Kubiak; Cynthia L. Arfken
Date Published
2006
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study assessed the similarities and differences between women involved in the criminal justice system and other women in the community seeking treatment services.
Abstract
Significant differences were found between women involved in the criminal justice system versus those that were not involved in the criminal justice system and seeking treatment services in their community. The study found that 43.6 percent of the criminal justice involved women had four or more areas of need compared with 16.5 percent of noncriminal justice women currently in treatment. The fit between available community resources and supports and the complex and multiple needs of women involved in the criminal justice system deserves to be examined more fully in each community. Gender responsive strategies are important, but differences within gender need to be examined both at an individual treatment level and at a systems level when planning and implementing responsive community-based services. As the debate regarding gender responsive strategies continues, there is little attention to differences that exist within gender. Attention to within gender differences is of particular importance in community contexts where many women involved in the criminal justice system are located and receiving treatment with non-criminal justice involved women. This study examined three mutually exclusive groups of adult women living in the community. These groups are (1) those involved in the criminal justice system, (2) those involved in the mental health and substance abuse treatment system but not involved in the criminal justice system and (3) women not associated with either criminal justice or mental health and substance abuse treatment. Tables, references