Abstract
Over the past several decades, the population of incarcerated women in the United States increased multifold, surpassing the growth rate of men during the same period. A majority of these individuals are also parents to minor children. Recent findings highlight gender differences in the incarcerated population particularly around issues related to family circumstances, family history, trauma, poverty, criminality, and substance abuse issues. Given both the increasing incarceration rate of women and the differences in risks facing men and women, gender-specific information is needed to inform the development of gender-responsive reentry strategies to help inmates navigate specific challenges they face as they reintegrate back into their communities and families.
In this chapter, we review existing literature on the backgrounds of incarcerated fathers and mothers. We then address critical gaps in our knowledge by examining a representative sample of incarcerated parents who were randomly selected from Oregon prisons on key background characteristics as well as pre- and post-release needs related to parenting. Following this, we review existing evidenced-based reentry interventions for men and women, specifically parents, and explore the degree that knowledge about potential issues related to gender informed the development of these programs. Lastly, we conclude with an examination of the extent to which existing gender-responsive programs address established differences between incarcerated men and women.
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Notes
- 1.
Notes. *Included in men’s programs review. **Included in women’s programs review.
References
Notes. *Included in men’s programs review. **Included in women’s programs review.
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Acknowledgments
Part of this chapter reports results from a state-wide survey. We thank the incarcerated men and women who participated, as well as the superintendents, program staff members, and correctional officers within each of the 13 participating facilities institutions and the research department staff members and administrators within the headquarters of the Oregon Department of Corrections who made the conduct of the survey possible. Correspondence concerning this chapter should be addressed to Jean Kjellstrand, College of Education, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97405. Contact: jeank@uoregon.edu
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Kjellstrand, J.M., Eddy, J.M., Gonzalez-Quiles, K., Damewood, G., Schumer, J. (2022). Gender Differences and Implications for Programming During the Reentry of Incarcerated Fathers and Mothers Back into Their Communities. In: Krysik, J., Rodriguez, N. (eds) Children of Incarcerated Parents. Children of Incarcerated Parents: From Understanding to Impact. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84713-5_9
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