Supervision of Women Defendants and Offenders in the Community

The use of gender-responsive strategies with women involved in the community corrections system is explained. Sections comprising this report are: what community corrections is; what gender-responsiveness for women offenders in community corrections is; definition of gender-responsiveness for women in the criminal justice system; summary of gender-responsive research; characteristics of women offenders in the criminal justice system (e.g., types of offenses, substance abuse, health, children and marital status, education and employment, and victimization and trauma); theoretical perspectives on womens criminal behavior -- pathways theory, relational theory, trauma theory, and addiction theory; comprehensive treatment model for issues critical to women; guiding principles for implementing gender-responsive strategies for women offenders; the three Rs for case planning; essential services of comprehensive treatment programs for women offenders; challenges in implementing gender-responsive strategies; overcoming challenges; and community corrections responsibility to women offenders.