With May being Mental Health month I thought it would be fitting to post an article about mental illness. Although the article is almost 10 years old, it is still very relevant today; strong stigmas are still associated with mental illness. With education and awareness, we can work to change people's misconceptions.
Understand the Weak Link Between Mental Illness and Violent Behavior
By Rohan Ganguli, M.D.
April 2000
A poll by a Columbia University researcher found that 80 percent of Americans believe that severely mentally ill individuals are more likely to commit violent crimes, that it is natural and appropriate to be afraid of someone who is mentally ill, or that former mental patients are dangerous.
Rohan Ganguli, M.D. is professor of psychiatry, pathology and health & community systems, and vice chairman & chief of clinical services, at Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic, UPMC. He is also president of the Allegheny County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Board.
In fact, a large amount of carefully collected research data indicates a weak link between mental illness (even serious psychotic illnesses like schizophrenia) and violent behavior. These studies actually show that gender (male) and age (younger) are more strongly predictive of an individual's likelihood of becoming violent, than the presence of mental illness.
It was heartening to read Sally Kalson's March 7 Post-Gazette story in the aftermath of the tragic Wilkinsburg shootings ("Health Experts: Mental Illness Not a Valid Predictor of Violence"). The story pointed out that the constant mention of the alleged mental illness of the assailant, in the extensive news coverage of this tragedy, would only serve to fuel the public's exaggerated fears of the mentally ill.
Unfortunately, the public perception of the mentally ill as dangerous leads to stigmatization of those with these illnesses and contributes to increasing their disability and deprives them of participation in the life of the community. Ostracism, stigmatization and persecution of the mentally ill, including severe physical abuse and even extermination, unfortunately have a long history. Today, while there are few examples of physical abuse and neglect, the severely mentally ill still continue to live marginal socially isolated lives.
A number of research studies found that the majority of the public still have difficulty accepting mentally ill people as employees, tenants, spouses or neighbors. The misconception that most mentally ill people are dangerous is clearly one of the sources of these attitudes. Other factors which influence these common stereotypes include the belief that serious disorders like schizophrenia are untreatable and that mentally illness make an individual less intelligent and less capable of reasoning like an adult.
At least one research study found that knowledge of the treatability of schizophrenia positively changed participants' attitudes toward the mentally ill and even reduced the perception of the dangerousness. Unfortunately, insurance companies are still allowed to discriminate against the mentally ill by placing strict limits and exclusions on what treatments they pay for, reinforcing the notion that mental illnesses are not the same as other medical disorders, and are less treatable.
Research also shows that media depictions of mentally ill people as violent homicidal characters has a marked influence on public attitudes and contributes to stereotyping. This can be in the context of news reports of violent acts committed by mentally ill persons, as well as fictional accounts of psychotic criminals. Since the media do not emphasize the absence of mental illness in the perpetrators of 95 percent or more of violent acts, it is hardly surprising that the public has such an exaggerated impression of the risk of violence from the mentally ill.
Stigma places obstructions to social success for patients. In addition, the attitudes of the public toward them is often internalized and results in lowered self-esteem, hopelessness and despair for sufferers. Families also suffer from stigma, and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill has made eradication of stigma a major part of its national campaign.
A recent survey of the Pennsylvania's County Behavioral Health Directors also identified stigma as one of the biggest obstacles preventing the severely mentally ill from achieving the best quality of life possible for them. In 1989 the American Psychiatric Association dedicated their annual meeting to "Overcoming Stigma." Unfortunately all of these efforts suffer a setback when there is a media story which, rather than highlighting the rarity of violence by mentally ill people, suggests that the connection is common.
Discrimination against those with mental illness in health insurance also contributes to gaps between public perceptions and reality. A national coalition of mental health professionals, patients and families has recently come together to address alternatives to the present health insurance system to make it fairer, more compassionate and inclusive for all Americans.
The Pittsburgh Psychiatric Society has forged a coalition of professionals and consumers and will hold a public education and consciousness-raising event two weeks from today (April 1) at Pitt's Graduate School of Public Health.
A civilized society must reject old stereotypes and biases and dismantle the discrimination and stigmatization that accompany them. The media also have a responsibility to report accurately and fairly, correcting misconceptions when necessary.
IF YOU LIVE IN THE DC METRO AREA:
Stand Up for Mental Health with comedian David Granirer at his show called "Im OK but You Need Professional Help: Using Humor to Fight Stigma!" David Granirer is an internationally recognized counselor, stand up comic, and author. This hilarious presentation is part comedy and part education. For this presentation David taught five local people to become stand up comics. Their acts look at the lighter side of taking meds, seeing counselors, and surviving the mental health system.
WHEN: Thursday May 21st @ 6:30 PM
WHERE: TC Williams High School Auditorium
3330 King St
Alexandria, VA 22302
www.standupformentalhealth.com
Monday, May 11, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Domestic Violence Facts
As we have seen with recent reports about Chris Brown and Rihanna, domestic violence does not discriminate between income, occupation, fame, age, or anything. Here are some startling statistics on domestic violence:
-Each day in the U.S., between 5 and 11 women are killed by a male intimate partner, between 1800 and 4000 a year.
-In the U.S. women are more likely to be killed by their male intimate partners than all other homicide categories combined.
-Studies show that the vast majority of women who kill their abusers do so as a last resort in defense of their own lives or and/or the lives of their children.
-Battered women who defend themselves are being convicted or are accepting pleas at a rate of 75-83% nationwide.
-Between 2.1 and 8 million women are abused by their partners annually in the U.S. At least every 15 seconds, a woman is beaten by her husband or boyfriend.
-The Surgeon General has reported for at least 10 years that battering is the single largest cause of injury to U.S. women.
-In many U.S. cities, more than 50% of women and children seeking shelter are turned away due to lack of space.
-Only (an estimated) 10% of incidents of domestice violence are reported, often due to shame, and fear that the abuser will retaliate when reported.
-The injuries battered women recieve are at least as serious as injuries suffered in 90% of violent felony crimes, yet under state laws, they are almost always classified as misdomeanors.
-In some surveys, 90% of battered women who reported assault to the police actually did sign complaints, but fewer that 1% of the cases were ever prosecuted...
[Facts compiled by the National Clearinghouse in Defense of Battered Women, Washington, D.C. ]
-If you or someone you know is being abused, speak up!!! Call your local domestic abuse hotline, and the police.
-Each day in the U.S., between 5 and 11 women are killed by a male intimate partner, between 1800 and 4000 a year.
-In the U.S. women are more likely to be killed by their male intimate partners than all other homicide categories combined.
-Studies show that the vast majority of women who kill their abusers do so as a last resort in defense of their own lives or and/or the lives of their children.
-Battered women who defend themselves are being convicted or are accepting pleas at a rate of 75-83% nationwide.
-Between 2.1 and 8 million women are abused by their partners annually in the U.S. At least every 15 seconds, a woman is beaten by her husband or boyfriend.
-The Surgeon General has reported for at least 10 years that battering is the single largest cause of injury to U.S. women.
-In many U.S. cities, more than 50% of women and children seeking shelter are turned away due to lack of space.
-Only (an estimated) 10% of incidents of domestice violence are reported, often due to shame, and fear that the abuser will retaliate when reported.
-The injuries battered women recieve are at least as serious as injuries suffered in 90% of violent felony crimes, yet under state laws, they are almost always classified as misdomeanors.
-In some surveys, 90% of battered women who reported assault to the police actually did sign complaints, but fewer that 1% of the cases were ever prosecuted...
[Facts compiled by the National Clearinghouse in Defense of Battered Women, Washington, D.C. ]
-If you or someone you know is being abused, speak up!!! Call your local domestic abuse hotline, and the police.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Friends of Guest House has been selected as a 2009 Leadership Awardee by The Washington Area Women's Foundation (WAWF). This has made us eligible to compete in an online vote to win a $5,000 prize! Voting is FREE and open to the public. Please show us your support by visiting: www.TheWomensFoundation.org and click on the big Leadership Awards OnlineVote sign, scroll down to the bottom of the page and vote for Friends ofGuest House today!Voting is open March 17-30th and we need your vote. Please tell your friends, family, colleagues and help us win BIG!!Thanks for your support! Thanks!!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
'The Guesthouse Women Poem'
This is a beautiful poem that the Guesthouse women wrote together, revealing what is on their hearts and minds.
I AM...
proud
somebody
motivated
woman
determined
a child of God
I FEEL...
sincere
focused
ready for the next step
important
loved
rejuvenated
I HOPE...
to be happy
to stay clean and sober
to proceed forward
to hold still
to succeed
to be successful
I AM...
loved
motivated
blessed
grateful
beautiful
I AM...
proud
somebody
motivated
woman
determined
a child of God
I FEEL...
sincere
focused
ready for the next step
important
loved
rejuvenated
I HOPE...
to be happy
to stay clean and sober
to proceed forward
to hold still
to succeed
to be successful
I AM...
loved
motivated
blessed
grateful
beautiful
Friday, May 2, 2008
What is the difference between Jail & Prison?
Although the terms “jail” and “prison” are sometimes used interchangeably, most members of law enforcement distinguish between the two. Primarily, the difference is that a jail is used by local jurisdictions such as counties and cities to confine people for short periods of time. A prison, or penitentiary, is administered by the state, and is used to house convicted criminals for periods of much longer duration. Both are part of a larger penal system which includes other aspects of criminal justice such as courts, law enforcement, and crime labs.
Because a jail is designed for short time periods only, it tends to have less amenities than a prison. Individuals who are being housed in a jail have access to bathrooms and are provided with food and water, and in a low security jail, they may be able to socialize in common areas during certain periods of the day. Most jails are designed to hold a very small number of criminals, and have relatively lax security when compared to prisons, although in areas prone to violence, a jail may be run along very strict lines. A jail houses people who have been convicted to serve a short sentence, individuals awaiting trial, people who have not yet paid bail, and criminals who have just been picked up on suspicion of committing a crime. The criminals are processed through a booking procedure, and the criminal justice system decides what to do with them after that.
In a prison, the amenities are much more extensive, as some prisoners may be serving their lives behind bars. Prisons have exercise areas, common areas for eating and socializing in lower security areas, church facilities, and an educational facility which includes classrooms, libraries, and labs to work and study in. In lower security prisons such as those used to imprison people convicted of whit collar crimes, the prison could sometimes be mistaken for a hotel. In most cases, prison inmates are expected to share cells with other inmates, and because of the long duration of most prison sentences, a complex social and political structure arises among the prisoners.
A prison is capable of handling far more prisoners than a jail is, and the prisoners are typically segregated on the basis of the types of crimes that they have been convicted of, as a safety precaution. In addition, in countries which still have capital punishment, a prison maintains facilities to carry out capital sentences, along with housing for criminals sentenced to this type of punishment. In general, the prison facility as a whole is very tightly secured, even if not all the criminals inside are violent, to prevent escapes or potential violence between wings of the prison. Prison staff are specially trained to work in a prison environment, and a board of governors appointed by the state oversees prison management.
Because a jail is designed for short time periods only, it tends to have less amenities than a prison. Individuals who are being housed in a jail have access to bathrooms and are provided with food and water, and in a low security jail, they may be able to socialize in common areas during certain periods of the day. Most jails are designed to hold a very small number of criminals, and have relatively lax security when compared to prisons, although in areas prone to violence, a jail may be run along very strict lines. A jail houses people who have been convicted to serve a short sentence, individuals awaiting trial, people who have not yet paid bail, and criminals who have just been picked up on suspicion of committing a crime. The criminals are processed through a booking procedure, and the criminal justice system decides what to do with them after that.
In a prison, the amenities are much more extensive, as some prisoners may be serving their lives behind bars. Prisons have exercise areas, common areas for eating and socializing in lower security areas, church facilities, and an educational facility which includes classrooms, libraries, and labs to work and study in. In lower security prisons such as those used to imprison people convicted of whit collar crimes, the prison could sometimes be mistaken for a hotel. In most cases, prison inmates are expected to share cells with other inmates, and because of the long duration of most prison sentences, a complex social and political structure arises among the prisoners.
A prison is capable of handling far more prisoners than a jail is, and the prisoners are typically segregated on the basis of the types of crimes that they have been convicted of, as a safety precaution. In addition, in countries which still have capital punishment, a prison maintains facilities to carry out capital sentences, along with housing for criminals sentenced to this type of punishment. In general, the prison facility as a whole is very tightly secured, even if not all the criminals inside are violent, to prevent escapes or potential violence between wings of the prison. Prison staff are specially trained to work in a prison environment, and a board of governors appointed by the state oversees prison management.
Some Facts
1. The most serious offense for 65% of women in federal prisons and 29.1% of women in state prisons is violation of drug laws.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Compendium of Federal Justice Statistics, 2003 (Washington, DC: US Dept. of Justice, Oct. 2005), p. 108, Table 7.10; Harrison, Paige M. & Allen J. Beck, PhD, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2005 (Washington DC: US Department of Justice, Nov. 2006), p. 9, Table 13.
2. The number of women incarcerated in prisons and jails in the USA is approximately 10 times more than the number of women incarcerated in Western European countries, even though Western Europe's combined female population is about the same size as that of the USA.
Source: Amnesty International, "Not Part of My Sentence: Violations of the Human Rights of Women in Custody" (Washington, DC: Amnesty International, March 1999), p. 15.
3. "During 2005 the number of females under the jurisdiction of State or Federal prison authorities increased by 2.6% (table 5). The number of males in prison rose 1.9%. At yearend 2005, 107,518 females and 1,418,406 males were in prison. Since 1995 the annual rate of growth in female prisoners averaged 4.6%, which was higher than the 3.0% increase in male prisoners. By yearend 2005 females accounted for 7.0% of all prisoners, up from 6.1% in 1995 and 5.7% in 1990."
Source: Harrison, Paige M. & Allen J. Beck, PhD, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2005 (Washington DC: US Department of Justice, Nov. 2006), p. 4.
4. "Since 1995 the total number of male prisoners has grown 34%; the number of female prisoners, 57%. At yearend 2005, 1 in every 1,538 women and 1 in every 108 men were incarcerated in a State or Federal prison."
Source: Harrison, Paige M. & Allen J. Beck, PhD, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2005 (Washington DC: US Department of Justice, Nov. 2006), p. 4.
5. "Relative to their number in the U.S. resident population, males were over 14 times more likely than females to be incarcerated in a State or Federal prison. At yearend 2005 there were 65 sentenced female inmates per 100,000 females in the resident population, compared to 929 sentenced male inmates per 100,000 males."
Source: Harrison, Paige M. & Allen J. Beck, PhD, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2005 (Washington DC: US Department of Justice, Nov. 2006), p. 4.
6. "Female incarceration rates, though substantially lower than male incarceration rates at every age, reveal similar racial and ethnic differences. Black females (with an incarceration rate of 156 per 100,000) were more than twice as likely as Hispanic females (76 per 100,000) and over 3 times more likely than white females (45 per 100,000) to have been in prison on December 31, 2005. These differences among white, black, and Hispanic females were consistent across all age groups."
Source: Harrison, Paige M. & Allen J. Beck, PhD, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2005 (Washington DC: US Department of Justice, Nov. 2006), p. 8.
7. Women are the fastest growing and least violent segment of prison and jail populations. 85.1% of female jail inmates are behind bars for nonviolent offenses.
Source: John Irwin, Ph. D., Vincent Schiraldi, and Jason Ziedenberg, America's One Million Nonviolent Prisoners (Washington, DC: Justice Policy Institute, March 1999), pgs. 6-7.
8. From 1986 (the year mandatory sentencing was enacted) to 1996, the number of women sentenced to state prison for drug crimes increased ten fold (from around 2,370 to 23,700) and has been the main element in the overall increase in the imprisonment of women.
Source: Amnesty International, "Not Part of My Sentence: Violations of the Human Rights of Women in Custody" (Washington, DC: Amnesty International, March 1999), p. 26.
9. From 1985 to 1996, female drug arrests increased by 95%, while male drug arrests increased by 55.1%.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reports 1985 (Washington DC: US Government Printing Office, 1986), p. 181, Table 37; Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1997 Uniform Crime Report (Washington DC: US Government Printing Office, 1998), p. 231, Table 42.
10. In 2005, there were a reported 2,472,303 arrests of women, of which 259,362 (9.46%) were for drug offenses. (Note: This represents a portion of the total estimated arrests in 2005, covering 10,974 agencies comprising a total population of 217,722,329 Americans.)
Source: Crime in the United States 2005, Uniform Crime Reports Washington, DC: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Oct. 2006), Table 40, from the web at http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/data/table_40.html.
11. Between 1990 and 1996, the number of women convicted of drug felonies increased by 37% (from 43,000 in 1990 to 59,536 in 1996). The number of convictions for simple possession increased 41% over that period, from 18,438 in 1990 to 26,022 in 1996.
Source: Greenfield, Lawrence A., and Snell, Tracy L., Bureau of Justice Statistics, Women Offenders (Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, December 1999), p. 5, Table 11.
12. In 1997 a US Justice Department investigation of women's prisons in Arizona concluded that the authorities failed to protect women from sexual misconduct by correctional officers and other staff. The misconduct included rape, sexual relationships, sexual touching and fondling, and "without good reason, frequent, prolonged, close-up and prurient viewing during dressing, showing and use of toilet facilities." (CIV97-476, US District of Arizona).
Source: Amnesty International, "Not Part of My Sentence: Violations of the Human Rights of Women in Custody" (Washington, DC: Amnesty International (March 1999), p. 39.
13. Retaliation for reports of abuse impedes women's access to protection of their human rights. One woman who won a lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons for sexual abuse reported that she was beaten, raped and sodomized by three men who in the course of the attack told her that they were attacking her in retaliation for providing a statement to investigators.
Source: Amnesty International, "Not Part of My Sentence: Violations of the Human Rights of Women in Custody" (Washington, DC: Amnesty International, March 1999), p. 59.
14. Sick and pregnant women are routinely shackled during hospitalization and childbirth if they are inmates of prisons or jails in the USA.
Source: Amnesty International, "Not Part of My Sentence: Violations of the Human Rights of Women in Custody" (Washington, DC: Amnesty International, March 1999), p. 63.
15. Approximately 516,200 women on probation (72% of the total), 44,700 women in local jails (70% of the total), 49,200 women in State prisons (65% of the total), and 5,400 women in Federal prisons (59% of the total) have minor children.
Source: Greenfield, Lawrence A., and Snell, Tracy L., Bureau of Justice Statistics, Women Offenders (Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, December 1999), p. 7, Table 17.
16. "Of the Nation's 72.3 million minor children in 1999, 2.1% had a parent in State or Federal prison. Black children (7.0%) were nearly 9 times more likely to have a parent in prison than white children (0.8%). Hispanic children (2.6%) were 3 times as likely as white children to have an inmate parent."
Source: Mumola, Christopher J., Bureau of Justice Statistics, Incarcerated Parents and Their Children (Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, August 2000), p. 2.
17. In 1997 an estimated 2.8% of all children under age 18 had at least one parent in a local jail or a State or Federal prison. About 1 in 359 children have an incarcerated mother - for a total of 194,504 children with their mothers behind bars.
Source: Greenfield, Lawrence A., and Snell, Tracy L., Bureau of Justice Statistics, Women Offenders (Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, December 1999), pp. 7-8, Tables 17 and 18.
18. Forty-four percent of women under correctional authority, including 57% of the women in State prisons, reported that they were physically or sexually abused at some point in their lives. Sixty-nine percent of women reporting an assault said that it had occurred before age 18.
Source: Greenfield, Lawrence A., and Snell, Tracy L., Bureau of Justice Statistics, Women Offenders (Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, December 1999), p. 8, Table 20.
19. Many women in prisons and jails in the USA are victims of sexual abuse by staff, including male staff touching inmates' breasts and genitals when conducting searches; male staff watching inmates while they are naked; and rape.
Source: Amnesty International, "Not Part of My Sentence: Violations of the Human Rights of Women in Custody" (Washington, DC: Amnesty International, March 1999), p. 38.
20. "Of the 13,573 treatment facilities that responded to the 2000 N-SSATS (National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services), 60 percent reported that they provided at least one of the special programs or services for women. Almost one third of the facilities (33 percent) provided one program or service, 17 percent of the facilities provided two programs or services, 8 percent of the facilities provided three, and 3 percent provided four programs or services (data not shown). Of the facilities providing programs or services for women, 63 percent reported providing programs for women only, 56 percent reported services addressing domestic violence, 34 percent provided programs for pregnant or postpartum women, and 16 percent offered on-site child care services."
Source: "Facilities Offering Special Programs or Services for Women," The Dasis Report (Washington, DC: Dept. of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies, Oct. 11, 2002), pp. 1-2.
21. "Facilities offering special programs or services for women were more likely to provide a variety of treatment services than facilities that did not offer such programs or services (Figure 1). These included transitional employment (with the largest difference, 42 percent vs. 25 percent), relapse prevention (83 percent vs. 67 percent), transportation assistance (42 percent vs. 26 percent), family counseling (83 percent vs. 69 percent), and pharmacotherapies (46 percent vs. 36 percent). Some 97 percent of facilities with women's programs or services offered individual therapy compared with 91 percent of facilities without special women's programs or services. In addition, 91 percent of facilities with women's programs or services offered group therapy compared with 84 percent of the other facilities."
Source: "Facilities Offering Special Programs or Services for Women," The Dasis Report (Washington, DC: Dept. of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies, Oct. 11, 2002), p. 2.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Compendium of Federal Justice Statistics, 2003 (Washington, DC: US Dept. of Justice, Oct. 2005), p. 108, Table 7.10; Harrison, Paige M. & Allen J. Beck, PhD, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2005 (Washington DC: US Department of Justice, Nov. 2006), p. 9, Table 13.
2. The number of women incarcerated in prisons and jails in the USA is approximately 10 times more than the number of women incarcerated in Western European countries, even though Western Europe's combined female population is about the same size as that of the USA.
Source: Amnesty International, "Not Part of My Sentence: Violations of the Human Rights of Women in Custody" (Washington, DC: Amnesty International, March 1999), p. 15.
3. "During 2005 the number of females under the jurisdiction of State or Federal prison authorities increased by 2.6% (table 5). The number of males in prison rose 1.9%. At yearend 2005, 107,518 females and 1,418,406 males were in prison. Since 1995 the annual rate of growth in female prisoners averaged 4.6%, which was higher than the 3.0% increase in male prisoners. By yearend 2005 females accounted for 7.0% of all prisoners, up from 6.1% in 1995 and 5.7% in 1990."
Source: Harrison, Paige M. & Allen J. Beck, PhD, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2005 (Washington DC: US Department of Justice, Nov. 2006), p. 4.
4. "Since 1995 the total number of male prisoners has grown 34%; the number of female prisoners, 57%. At yearend 2005, 1 in every 1,538 women and 1 in every 108 men were incarcerated in a State or Federal prison."
Source: Harrison, Paige M. & Allen J. Beck, PhD, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2005 (Washington DC: US Department of Justice, Nov. 2006), p. 4.
5. "Relative to their number in the U.S. resident population, males were over 14 times more likely than females to be incarcerated in a State or Federal prison. At yearend 2005 there were 65 sentenced female inmates per 100,000 females in the resident population, compared to 929 sentenced male inmates per 100,000 males."
Source: Harrison, Paige M. & Allen J. Beck, PhD, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2005 (Washington DC: US Department of Justice, Nov. 2006), p. 4.
6. "Female incarceration rates, though substantially lower than male incarceration rates at every age, reveal similar racial and ethnic differences. Black females (with an incarceration rate of 156 per 100,000) were more than twice as likely as Hispanic females (76 per 100,000) and over 3 times more likely than white females (45 per 100,000) to have been in prison on December 31, 2005. These differences among white, black, and Hispanic females were consistent across all age groups."
Source: Harrison, Paige M. & Allen J. Beck, PhD, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2005 (Washington DC: US Department of Justice, Nov. 2006), p. 8.
7. Women are the fastest growing and least violent segment of prison and jail populations. 85.1% of female jail inmates are behind bars for nonviolent offenses.
Source: John Irwin, Ph. D., Vincent Schiraldi, and Jason Ziedenberg, America's One Million Nonviolent Prisoners (Washington, DC: Justice Policy Institute, March 1999), pgs. 6-7.
8. From 1986 (the year mandatory sentencing was enacted) to 1996, the number of women sentenced to state prison for drug crimes increased ten fold (from around 2,370 to 23,700) and has been the main element in the overall increase in the imprisonment of women.
Source: Amnesty International, "Not Part of My Sentence: Violations of the Human Rights of Women in Custody" (Washington, DC: Amnesty International, March 1999), p. 26.
9. From 1985 to 1996, female drug arrests increased by 95%, while male drug arrests increased by 55.1%.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reports 1985 (Washington DC: US Government Printing Office, 1986), p. 181, Table 37; Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1997 Uniform Crime Report (Washington DC: US Government Printing Office, 1998), p. 231, Table 42.
10. In 2005, there were a reported 2,472,303 arrests of women, of which 259,362 (9.46%) were for drug offenses. (Note: This represents a portion of the total estimated arrests in 2005, covering 10,974 agencies comprising a total population of 217,722,329 Americans.)
Source: Crime in the United States 2005, Uniform Crime Reports Washington, DC: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Oct. 2006), Table 40, from the web at http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/data/table_40.html.
11. Between 1990 and 1996, the number of women convicted of drug felonies increased by 37% (from 43,000 in 1990 to 59,536 in 1996). The number of convictions for simple possession increased 41% over that period, from 18,438 in 1990 to 26,022 in 1996.
Source: Greenfield, Lawrence A., and Snell, Tracy L., Bureau of Justice Statistics, Women Offenders (Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, December 1999), p. 5, Table 11.
12. In 1997 a US Justice Department investigation of women's prisons in Arizona concluded that the authorities failed to protect women from sexual misconduct by correctional officers and other staff. The misconduct included rape, sexual relationships, sexual touching and fondling, and "without good reason, frequent, prolonged, close-up and prurient viewing during dressing, showing and use of toilet facilities." (CIV97-476, US District of Arizona).
Source: Amnesty International, "Not Part of My Sentence: Violations of the Human Rights of Women in Custody" (Washington, DC: Amnesty International (March 1999), p. 39.
13. Retaliation for reports of abuse impedes women's access to protection of their human rights. One woman who won a lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons for sexual abuse reported that she was beaten, raped and sodomized by three men who in the course of the attack told her that they were attacking her in retaliation for providing a statement to investigators.
Source: Amnesty International, "Not Part of My Sentence: Violations of the Human Rights of Women in Custody" (Washington, DC: Amnesty International, March 1999), p. 59.
14. Sick and pregnant women are routinely shackled during hospitalization and childbirth if they are inmates of prisons or jails in the USA.
Source: Amnesty International, "Not Part of My Sentence: Violations of the Human Rights of Women in Custody" (Washington, DC: Amnesty International, March 1999), p. 63.
15. Approximately 516,200 women on probation (72% of the total), 44,700 women in local jails (70% of the total), 49,200 women in State prisons (65% of the total), and 5,400 women in Federal prisons (59% of the total) have minor children.
Source: Greenfield, Lawrence A., and Snell, Tracy L., Bureau of Justice Statistics, Women Offenders (Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, December 1999), p. 7, Table 17.
16. "Of the Nation's 72.3 million minor children in 1999, 2.1% had a parent in State or Federal prison. Black children (7.0%) were nearly 9 times more likely to have a parent in prison than white children (0.8%). Hispanic children (2.6%) were 3 times as likely as white children to have an inmate parent."
Source: Mumola, Christopher J., Bureau of Justice Statistics, Incarcerated Parents and Their Children (Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, August 2000), p. 2.
17. In 1997 an estimated 2.8% of all children under age 18 had at least one parent in a local jail or a State or Federal prison. About 1 in 359 children have an incarcerated mother - for a total of 194,504 children with their mothers behind bars.
Source: Greenfield, Lawrence A., and Snell, Tracy L., Bureau of Justice Statistics, Women Offenders (Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, December 1999), pp. 7-8, Tables 17 and 18.
18. Forty-four percent of women under correctional authority, including 57% of the women in State prisons, reported that they were physically or sexually abused at some point in their lives. Sixty-nine percent of women reporting an assault said that it had occurred before age 18.
Source: Greenfield, Lawrence A., and Snell, Tracy L., Bureau of Justice Statistics, Women Offenders (Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, December 1999), p. 8, Table 20.
19. Many women in prisons and jails in the USA are victims of sexual abuse by staff, including male staff touching inmates' breasts and genitals when conducting searches; male staff watching inmates while they are naked; and rape.
Source: Amnesty International, "Not Part of My Sentence: Violations of the Human Rights of Women in Custody" (Washington, DC: Amnesty International, March 1999), p. 38.
20. "Of the 13,573 treatment facilities that responded to the 2000 N-SSATS (National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services), 60 percent reported that they provided at least one of the special programs or services for women. Almost one third of the facilities (33 percent) provided one program or service, 17 percent of the facilities provided two programs or services, 8 percent of the facilities provided three, and 3 percent provided four programs or services (data not shown). Of the facilities providing programs or services for women, 63 percent reported providing programs for women only, 56 percent reported services addressing domestic violence, 34 percent provided programs for pregnant or postpartum women, and 16 percent offered on-site child care services."
Source: "Facilities Offering Special Programs or Services for Women," The Dasis Report (Washington, DC: Dept. of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies, Oct. 11, 2002), pp. 1-2.
21. "Facilities offering special programs or services for women were more likely to provide a variety of treatment services than facilities that did not offer such programs or services (Figure 1). These included transitional employment (with the largest difference, 42 percent vs. 25 percent), relapse prevention (83 percent vs. 67 percent), transportation assistance (42 percent vs. 26 percent), family counseling (83 percent vs. 69 percent), and pharmacotherapies (46 percent vs. 36 percent). Some 97 percent of facilities with women's programs or services offered individual therapy compared with 91 percent of facilities without special women's programs or services. In addition, 91 percent of facilities with women's programs or services offered group therapy compared with 84 percent of the other facilities."
Source: "Facilities Offering Special Programs or Services for Women," The Dasis Report (Washington, DC: Dept. of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies, Oct. 11, 2002), p. 2.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
U.S. Shifting Prison Focus to Re-entry Into Society
April 8, 2008
U.S. Shifting Prison Focus to Re-entry Into Society
By ERIK ECKHOLM
Back in the 1970s and '80s, high crime and "get tough" laws meant longer sentences and more emphasis on punishment than on rehabilitation, and the federal and state governments spent billions building prisons.
Today, as a legacy of those policies, not only are record numbers incarcerated, but also about 700,000 state and federal prisoners are released annually, many of them with little education or employment prospects and destined to be imprisoned again within a few years.
In a sharp change in attitudes about incarceration, many states and private groups have recently experimented with "re-entry" programs to help released prisoners fit back into their communities and avoid new crime.
The strategy will get a major boost this week. President Bush is to sign the Second Chance Act in a public ceremony on Wednesday, making rehabilitation a central goal of the federal justice system. In a sign of how far the pendulum has swung, the measure passed Congress with nearly unanimous bipartisan support.
With the new law, the federal government is to provide more money and leadership in a field where progress is likely to be difficult at best, experts agree.
"From our perspective, this is a huge development," said Michael Thompson, director of the Justice Center of the Council of State Governments. "Governors, legislatures, corrections and law enforcement agencies around the country were all very supportive of the act."
The new push to help prisoners reintegrate into society has been driven in part by financial concerns: states cannot afford to keep building more prisons. It also reflects concern for the victims of repeat offenders and for the wasted lives of the offenders themselves, who are disproportionately black and from neighborhoods of concentrated poverty.
The act authorizes $165 million in spending per year, including matching grants to state and local governments and nongovernmental groups to experiment with efforts like more schooling and drug treatment inside prison and aid with housing, employment and the building of family and community ties after release.
It also directs the Justice Department to step up research on re-entry issues and establishes a national Reentry Resource Center to promote successful approaches and provide training.
"This act represents a major change in crime policy," said Jeremy Travis, president of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, who as a Justice Department official in the Clinton administration and the author of "But They All Come Back: Facing the Challenges of Prisoner Reentry" (Urban Institute Press, 2005) helped promote the shift.
Over the last decade, the re-entry cause has been embraced by an unusually wide range of groups and individuals, including evangelical Christians and liberal activists. Mr. Bush called for such a law in 2004 and in Congress, key sponsors included Senator Sam Brownback, a conservative Republican from Kansas, and Representative Danny K. Davis, a liberal Democrat from Illinois.
"It's been a bipartisan coalition," Mr. Travis said, "the sort of thing that doesn't happen in Washington these days."
U.S. Shifting Prison Focus to Re-entry Into Society
By ERIK ECKHOLM
Back in the 1970s and '80s, high crime and "get tough" laws meant longer sentences and more emphasis on punishment than on rehabilitation, and the federal and state governments spent billions building prisons.
Today, as a legacy of those policies, not only are record numbers incarcerated, but also about 700,000 state and federal prisoners are released annually, many of them with little education or employment prospects and destined to be imprisoned again within a few years.
In a sharp change in attitudes about incarceration, many states and private groups have recently experimented with "re-entry" programs to help released prisoners fit back into their communities and avoid new crime.
The strategy will get a major boost this week. President Bush is to sign the Second Chance Act in a public ceremony on Wednesday, making rehabilitation a central goal of the federal justice system. In a sign of how far the pendulum has swung, the measure passed Congress with nearly unanimous bipartisan support.
With the new law, the federal government is to provide more money and leadership in a field where progress is likely to be difficult at best, experts agree.
"From our perspective, this is a huge development," said Michael Thompson, director of the Justice Center of the Council of State Governments. "Governors, legislatures, corrections and law enforcement agencies around the country were all very supportive of the act."
The new push to help prisoners reintegrate into society has been driven in part by financial concerns: states cannot afford to keep building more prisons. It also reflects concern for the victims of repeat offenders and for the wasted lives of the offenders themselves, who are disproportionately black and from neighborhoods of concentrated poverty.
The act authorizes $165 million in spending per year, including matching grants to state and local governments and nongovernmental groups to experiment with efforts like more schooling and drug treatment inside prison and aid with housing, employment and the building of family and community ties after release.
It also directs the Justice Department to step up research on re-entry issues and establishes a national Reentry Resource Center to promote successful approaches and provide training.
"This act represents a major change in crime policy," said Jeremy Travis, president of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, who as a Justice Department official in the Clinton administration and the author of "But They All Come Back: Facing the Challenges of Prisoner Reentry" (Urban Institute Press, 2005) helped promote the shift.
Over the last decade, the re-entry cause has been embraced by an unusually wide range of groups and individuals, including evangelical Christians and liberal activists. Mr. Bush called for such a law in 2004 and in Congress, key sponsors included Senator Sam Brownback, a conservative Republican from Kansas, and Representative Danny K. Davis, a liberal Democrat from Illinois.
"It's been a bipartisan coalition," Mr. Travis said, "the sort of thing that doesn't happen in Washington these days."
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