The Assessment and Treatment of Women Offenders

There is a large body of research that provides guidance for those working with offenders on how they should be treated once they are in the correctional system. The problem is that most, if not all this research has been conducted on all male populations and it is assumed that women offenders are the same. However, women have different needs and support systems than men in some areas of their lives and it is unclear whether all research based on men can be generalized in this way. The book provides a review of the research literature to guide evidence-based practice in the assessment and treatment of adult female offenders. An historical overview of women’s crime and imprisonment will be followed by a global review of various theories of female criminality.  The remainder of the book reviews the psychology of criminal conduct, with a specific focus on three psychological principles of effective intervention: risk, need and responsivity. Respectively, these principles set the “who”, “what” and “how” for correctional intervention.

About the Authors ix Series Editors’ Preface xi Preface xv Acknowledgements xix 1 The Extent and Nature of Female Offending and Incarceration Patterns 1 2 Theories of Female Offending 15 3 Assessment for Classification of Women Offenders 41 4 Assessing Women’s Risk 53 5 Assessing Women’s Needs 83 6 Responsivity, Treatment and Women Offenders 115 7 Conclusion 137 References 149 Index 171