The national Institute of Justice released mproving Access to Services for Female Offenders Returning to the Community, which shows that female need far more services than men when they are released.
Noting that the number of female prisoners increased by 25% in a decade, the report reveals that women now make up seven percent of those who are incarcerated in America.
The report’s researchers and authors, Marie Garcia and Nancy Ritter, found that women:
experience barriers to obtaining housing
have greater difficulty in obtaining and sustaining employment
are offered less family support
where found to have more substance abuse issues
are often overlooked by reentry services providers
The report further discovered, “During the pre-release interviews, the women reported that their greatest employment, education and lifeskills needs were education (95 percent), employment (83 percent) and job training (83 percent). Their reported greatest transition service needs were public health insurance (91 percent), financial assistance (87 percent), a mentor (83 percent) and obtaining a driver's license (79 percent).
Because of their high level of need, female offenders are likely to encounter tremendous obstacles when they re-enter the community after serving time in prison.
Source: The Prison Show
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