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Gender-Responsive Management of Women's Prisons

Operational Practice in the Management of Women's Prisons

The needs of women in a correctional setting pose unique challenges for operational practices that may have been designed without their gender differences in mind. This page addresses issues like these and more.

You will gain an understanding about how to apply evidence-based, gender-responsive tools and practices helpful to providing better services, implementing effective management and achieving successful outcomes for women offenders.

Sub-topics include medical and mental health, legal issues, communication differences, women’s pathways to prison, gender responsive principles, and staff sexual misconduct.

Resource Links
Best Practices in the Use of Restraints with Pregnant Women Under Correctional Custody
Gender Responsive Discipline and Sanctions Policy Guide for Women’s Facilities
Because Gender Matters
Corrections officers’ knowledge and perspectives of maternal and child health policies and programs for pregnant women in prison
Watch on YouTube: It's Not About The Nail!

NIC Resources
Related Initiatives

Justice-Involved Women

The National Institute of Corrections, in partnership with the Women's Prison Association, has developed The National Directory of Programs for Women with Criminal Justice Involvement. Learn more about the directory through the "Online Resources" sidebar in the right column of this page (second link from the top).

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Gender-Responsive Policy & Practice Assessment (GRPPA)

What is the GRPPA?

The GRPPA outlines the process of evaluating the gender-responsiveness of policies and programs for women and how to use those outcomes to drive enhancements to women’s programming.

The Gender-Responsive Policy & Practice Assessment (GRPPA) is a process designed to guide assessment of research-based, gender-responsive policies and