This case study of the Therapeutic Community Program at Montana Women's Prison investigates the relationship between inmate reading levels and the self-help materials used for rehabilitative purposes within prison settings. The Therapeutic Community Handbook, published by the Montana Department of Corrections, is used as the primary method of…

This article summarizes the results of a study conducted to investigate factors influencing the organizational design, establishment, administration, and governance of correctional education for females. The research involved interviews with correctional and community college administrators and practitioners representing North Carolina female…

This study compared the opinions of female juvenile delinquents and their teachers from one correctional facility on students' communication behaviors involving metacognitive and metalinguistic skills. The researchers used two parallel surveys that compared the opinions of 31 students and five teachers, on students' behaviors that addressed…

The purpose of this study was to survey the opinions of female juvenile delinquents residing in a correctional center about the role of teachers and schools in serving students involved in violence. The term violence referred to behaviors and actions including threats or intentional harm to individuals or property (Van Hasselt & Hersen, 1999). A…

Recent information on the incidence and types of language and communication problems experienced by female delinquents and the relation they have to emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) indicate a contribution to the problems these girls have encountered in social and academic situations. Pragmatics (i.e., use of language in interpersonal…

Nine women, representing a range of ages, ethnic identities, and educational levels, who were completing detention sentences in a halfway house setting in the Midwest were interviewed to gain insight into their perceptions of education. The researcher found that the women consistently spoke about what makes a teacher "good". Some of the…

This article profiles Elizabeth Gurney Fry, an English prison reformer, social reformer and philanthropist. Born on May 21, 1780, into a wealthy and prominent Quaker family in Norwich, England, Elizabeth Gurney was the third of twelve children born to John and Catherine Gurney. As Elizabeth was growing and struggling with the meaning of her life,…

Dr. Miriam Van Waters was the superintendent (warden) of the Massachusetts Reformatory for Women at Framingham for twenty-five years. She has the distinct honor of holding that position the longest. In 1949, she rose to national prominence when the new Massachusetts Commissioner of Corrections, under allegations of lax administrative policies,…

Vocational education programs show promise for reducing recidivism, measured most typically through re-arrest and re-incarceration data, among adult offenders. Yet, such programs for women in U.S. correctional facilities have more often provided training in gender-stereotyped and lower-paid professions when compared to vocational programs in men's…

In this article, the author describes the Lifeskills for Women program of the Shelby County Division of Corrections (Memphis, Tennessee). The program offers strategies and approaches to reversing faulty cognitive systems and behavioral patterns of incarcerated women preparing for community reentry. First implemented in 1997, and subsequently…

The number of female prisoners continues to grow in the United States, yet most examinations of how to increase reintegration and reduce recidivation focus on the needs of the predominantly male prisoner population. As a result, prison education programs and post-release environments often leave women unprepared and facing special risks. This…

This study is part of a directed research project funded by the Office of Special Education Programs. Using qualitative research methods, consisting of interviews and participant observations, the policies and procedures of three alternative education programs in various settings were investigated. These programs served youth with and without…

In 2000 the Center for Urban Studies at Wayne State University received an award to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of a mid-western state's prisoner education program in reducing the recidivism rates of respondents. As part of this evaluation, researchers held several focus groups with ex-inmates in order to determine how useful the…

The purpose of this article is to illustrate a number of the deficiencies that currently exist in our understanding of women's participation in prison education, and to offer alternative methods to reduce such deficiencies. Through a review of empirical studies that examine the conditions of women's prisons and two trend studies examining women's…

The purpose of this study was to survey the opinions of 62 adolescent females residing in a correctional facility about their use of the Internet to participate in chat room conversations. Findings indicated that 54 of 62 girls (87.09%), with a mean age of 16.72 years, participated in chat room interactions. Most (n = 47) interacted in chat rooms…