Kyla
04-07-2004, 12:16 AM
ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF
FEMALE OFFENDERS
POLICY AND ACTION PLAN 2003-2008
This document is available on the Department of Corrective Services website at http://www.dcs.qld.gov.au
© The State of Queensland (Department of Corrective Services) 2003 Copyright protects this publication.
Excerpts may be reproduced with acknowledgement to the State of Queensland (Department of Corrective Services).
Policy statement
The department recognises that the experience of female offenders in the criminal justice system is vastly different from that of their male counterparts. The differences between male and female criminality are profound and female offenders present with distinct psychological, health and socio-economic characteristics. Female offenders are recognised in their own right and correctional responses will be based on their identified needs.
Authority for the policy
. Corrective Services Act 2000
. Corrective Services Regulation 2001
. Queensland Government priority outcome of safer and more supportive communities
. Queensland Crime Prevention Strategy
. Queensland Government Policy: Putting Families First
. Queensland Government Policy: Queensland Families: Future Directions
. Queensland Government Policy: Women and Girls in the Smart State
Policy background
The objective of this policy is to give effect to the Queensland Government.s priority outcome of safer and more supportive communities.
The Government has formulated a Crime Prevention Strategy which applies to all government departments and which emphasises its commitment to be tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime. The Government has also formulated initiatives such as Putting Families First; Women and Girls in the Smart State; and Queensland Families: Future Directions which emphasise a whole-of-government commitment to supporting children and families in Queensland.
Women have significant physical, psychological, social, vocational and health needs that require recognition in all areas of the correctional system. Many female offenders enter the correctional system with limited education, poor employment history and poor coping skills. Many women are at risk of being homeless upon release or of returning to dysfunctional relationships and poor accommodation. It is important to identify these needs and implement appropriate responses if female offenders are to successfully reintegrate into the community and not return to the correctional system.
Many of the key issues facing female offenders relate to their position in the community before and after their experience in the correctional system. This policy recognises the need for the department to contribute to whole-of-government initiatives and to develop effective partnerships with other departments and agencies in order to provide acoordinated response to meeting the needs of female offenders.
Policy principles
The department.s vision is to be a leader in corrections and a partner in criminal and social justice. Consistent with this, the department seeks to set the benchmark for the management of female offenders.
To achieve this, the department will ensure that female offenders are recognised in their own right and that correctional responses are based on their identified needs. The following principles will guide the department in the management of female offenders.
. Female offenders will be able to access programs, services, options and opportunities responsive to their needs.
. Female offenders will be managed with respect and regard for dignity, in a way which facilitates self-responsibility.
. Female offenders will be provided with rehabilitative and culturally-sensitive
environments that acknowledge women.s needs and life experiences and which accord with assessed risks and needs.
. Staff will be recruited and trained to meet the unique requirements of correctional facilities for female offenders.
. The design, administration and operation of correctional services will be informed by empirical evidence regarding effective outcomes for female offenders.
. Correctional services will encourage individual female offenders to maintain and develop their role as mothers and/or primary care givers and acknowledge the centrality of their connections with family and significant others.
. Correctional services will foster personal responsibility by offering meaningful choices and maximising the individual.s control over physical environment and circumstances.
Key issues facing the
the department in
managing female offenders
Health and well-being
The majority of female offenders enter the correctional system with very high physical, mental health and well-being needs. The Incidence of self-harm within the correctional system has risen dramatically in recent times. A Women Prisoners. Health Survey conducted in 2002 identified that 57% of women reported having been diagnosed with a mental illness, the most common being depression. Previous experiences of domestic violence, sexual abuse and injecting drug use are common. Other issues include Hepatitis C, poor reproductive health, unplanned pregnancy, poor nutrition, low levels of exercise, high levels of being overweight or obese, and high rates of smoking and drinking.
The management of female offenders at risk of self-harm poses particular support and management challenges.
The health and well-being needs of female offenders are a manifestation of their on-going health status within the community.
Drug abuse
Drug-related offences comprise a significant proportion of female offences and women prisoners report high levels of drug use in the community. Gender-specific research-based models of management and rehabilitation of female drug abusers are required in order to reduce incarceration and recidivism.
Over-representation of Indigenous female offenders
Indigenous women represented 29% of the female population as at August 2002 compared with 22% in 2001 and were concentrated in secure correctional centres, often far from their communities. The challenge is to develop alternative placements for Indigenous women, diversionary options and culturally-appropriate management strategies, including programs.
Parental responsibilities
The majority of female offenders are primary carers of dependant children. Assisting female offenders to maintain and enhance their family relationships, where appropriate, ensures that the child is not punished for the mother.s offending, and can assist with rehabilitation. Challenges include balancing a mother.s needs with the best interests of the child, the provision of a range of options for family contact, and ensuring that departmental policies and procedures recognise parental responsibilities.
Planning and service delivery
During the past 10 years, the number of female offenders in the prison system has increased significantly from around 75 in 1993 to 290 in 2003. Recidivism is also a concern, with the rate for female offenders returning to custody within two years of release at 27% in December 2002. Even so, the numbers of female offenders are comparatively small. The challenge for the department is to provide infrastructure and appropriate services to meet the needs of female offenders while at the same time enabling the maintenance of offenders. families and community support networks across a large state.
Outputs, goals, key
performance measures,
strategies and action
The department.s Strategic Plan 2003-2008 identifies three outputs. These outputs provide the framework for goals, strategies and actions for enhancing the management of female offenders. Performance indicators will help us measure our progress towards achieveing these goals. Further review and development will occur during annual planning cycles. Detailed actions will be developed in operational plans across the agency.
Output: Facility-based containment services
Goal: Integrated and effective management and supervision of offenders in accordance with assessed risks and needs
Key performance measures
. Incidence of assault, suicide and self-harm for female offenders.
. Percentages of illicit drug-use identified from random urinalysis testing for female offenders in secure, open and community custody
Action
Strategy
. Ensure that facilities offer safe and non-threatening environments to maximise opportunities for the well-being of staff and offenders
. Establish a functional support unit at Brisbane Women.s Correctional Centre for the management of female offenders who are at risk of self-harm
. Review crisis support management at Townsville Women.s Correctional Centre and investigate accommodation options for female offenders in need of crisis support
. Establish Murri meeting places in all female correctional facilities
. Develop Indigenous Peer Support Programs in all female facilities
. Provide specific health promotion interventions (for example, pap screens, nutrition, exercise, sun safety)
. Review transport processes for female offenders when accessing medical services outside a correctional centre
Output: Facility-based containment services
Strategy
Action
. Strengthen offender management processes to ensure offenders are offered an integrated and structured progression through their sentences
. Complete female-specific modules of the Pre-release Transition Program and pilot at Helana Jones Community Corrections Centre. Investigate further means of providing post-release support
. Develop procedures to assist operational areas to commence using video conferencing equipment
. Develop a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Corrective Services and the Department of Housing to address issues relating to female offenders who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless upon release from custody
. Develop a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Families in relation to the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program Funded Services to provide access by female offenders to domestic violence services pre-release and to meet their accommodation needs after release
Strategy
Action
. Review staff recruitment and selection processes to ensure appropriate staff are engaged to work with female offenders
. Promote the recruitment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff in accordance with Workforce Diversity and Understanding: The Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander Recruitment and Retention Strategy 2000 . 2005
. Provide training and support to staff in managing the specific risks and needs of female offenders, in particular the management of mental health issues
. Include resources on the department.s intranet site for staff who provide services to female offenders
. Provide holistic and integrated support services for effective offender management
Output: Community supervision services
Goal: Integrated and effective management and supervision of offenders in accordance with assessed risks and need
Key performance measures
. Percentage of successfully completed orders by female offenders
. Rates of breach by reconviction by female offenders
Strategy
Action
. Tailor service delivery pratices to meet specific needs of target groups
. Review staff recruitment and selection processes to ensure appropriate staff are engaged to work with female offenders
. Promote the recruitment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff in accordance with Workforce Diversity and Understanding: The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Recruitment and Retention Strategy 2000 - 2005
. Review procedures in relation to reporting arrangements for offenders with childcare responsibilities
Action
Strategy
. Develop, trial and evaluate integrated approaches to offender management (for example, Drug Courts and the Community Service Enforcement and Enhancement Project)
. Investigate appropriate sentencing and diversionary options for female offenders
Output: Correctional intervention services
Goal: Minimisation of the risk of re-offending through targeted and coordinated intervention services
Key performance measures
. Participation and completion rates of female offenders in departmental programs for secure, open and community custody and community supervision
. Industry participation rates for female offenders for secure and open custody
. Participation rates in literacy/numeracy programs and vocational education and training programs for female offenders for secure and open custody
Action
Strategy
. Undertake research to identify best practice in the management of female offenders
. Incorporate best practice principles for the management of female offenders into the integrated offender management strategy
. Incorporate collection of relevant data relating to female offenders into the Integrated Offender Management System
. Provide training for staff in meeting the assessed needs of female offenders, in particular Indigenous female offenders
. Design and implement monitoring and evaluation systems to ensure that interventions are effective and delivered efficiently
Strategy
Action
. Investigate and implement gender appropriate research-based models of management and rehabilitation of female substance abusers
. Provide ways of addressing drug and alcohol use and misuse, including detection, treatment, medical options and interventions
Strategy
Action
. Develop a coordinated approach to rehabilitation by linking prison industries with training and employment opportunities for female offenders
. Implement an integrated approach to the delivery of vocational education and training programs, including links with prison industries
Output: Correctional intervention services
Strategy
Action
. Develop and deliver a range of interventions appropriate to the assessed risks and needs of offenders including targeted interventions to meet cultural, gender and disability needs
. Develop effective partnerships with other government departments and contribute to whole-of-government initiatives and projects
. Establish links and formalise arrangements with other agencies that are able to provide intervention services that may assist in the management of female offenders
. Develop and maintain formal relationships with Indigenous community justice governance groups
. Review departmental programs and revise where necessary to meet gender needs
. Identify and implement strategies to address the issues raised in the Queensland Women Prisoners. Health Survey
. Develop and implement a Language Services Policy to ensure the needs of non-English speaking offenders are met
. Develop and implement a Disabilities Services Policy
. Develop a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Corrective Services and Disability Services Queensland in relation to the needs of offenders with an intellectual disability
. Contribute to whole-of-government initiatives including crime prevention, creating safer and more supportive communities, valuing and supporting families, achieving an improved quality of life for Indigenous Queenslanders, reducing the number of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system, suicide prevention, domestic and family violence and harmful drug-use
Output: Correctional intervention services
Goal: Appropriate opportunities for offenders to make reparation to the community
Key performance measures
. Financial value of work performed in Queensland through the Women.s CommunityCustody Program
. The number of community service project sites suitable for female offenders, in particular those offenders who have primary childcare responsibilities
Action
Strategy
. Provide efficient and quality community service projects for participation by offenders
. Develop community service projects that provide female offenders with opportunities to gain work-related skills and are appropriate for female offenders who have primary childcare responsibilities
FEMALE OFFENDERS
POLICY AND ACTION PLAN 2003-2008
This document is available on the Department of Corrective Services website at http://www.dcs.qld.gov.au
© The State of Queensland (Department of Corrective Services) 2003 Copyright protects this publication.
Excerpts may be reproduced with acknowledgement to the State of Queensland (Department of Corrective Services).
Policy statement
The department recognises that the experience of female offenders in the criminal justice system is vastly different from that of their male counterparts. The differences between male and female criminality are profound and female offenders present with distinct psychological, health and socio-economic characteristics. Female offenders are recognised in their own right and correctional responses will be based on their identified needs.
Authority for the policy
. Corrective Services Act 2000
. Corrective Services Regulation 2001
. Queensland Government priority outcome of safer and more supportive communities
. Queensland Crime Prevention Strategy
. Queensland Government Policy: Putting Families First
. Queensland Government Policy: Queensland Families: Future Directions
. Queensland Government Policy: Women and Girls in the Smart State
Policy background
The objective of this policy is to give effect to the Queensland Government.s priority outcome of safer and more supportive communities.
The Government has formulated a Crime Prevention Strategy which applies to all government departments and which emphasises its commitment to be tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime. The Government has also formulated initiatives such as Putting Families First; Women and Girls in the Smart State; and Queensland Families: Future Directions which emphasise a whole-of-government commitment to supporting children and families in Queensland.
Women have significant physical, psychological, social, vocational and health needs that require recognition in all areas of the correctional system. Many female offenders enter the correctional system with limited education, poor employment history and poor coping skills. Many women are at risk of being homeless upon release or of returning to dysfunctional relationships and poor accommodation. It is important to identify these needs and implement appropriate responses if female offenders are to successfully reintegrate into the community and not return to the correctional system.
Many of the key issues facing female offenders relate to their position in the community before and after their experience in the correctional system. This policy recognises the need for the department to contribute to whole-of-government initiatives and to develop effective partnerships with other departments and agencies in order to provide acoordinated response to meeting the needs of female offenders.
Policy principles
The department.s vision is to be a leader in corrections and a partner in criminal and social justice. Consistent with this, the department seeks to set the benchmark for the management of female offenders.
To achieve this, the department will ensure that female offenders are recognised in their own right and that correctional responses are based on their identified needs. The following principles will guide the department in the management of female offenders.
. Female offenders will be able to access programs, services, options and opportunities responsive to their needs.
. Female offenders will be managed with respect and regard for dignity, in a way which facilitates self-responsibility.
. Female offenders will be provided with rehabilitative and culturally-sensitive
environments that acknowledge women.s needs and life experiences and which accord with assessed risks and needs.
. Staff will be recruited and trained to meet the unique requirements of correctional facilities for female offenders.
. The design, administration and operation of correctional services will be informed by empirical evidence regarding effective outcomes for female offenders.
. Correctional services will encourage individual female offenders to maintain and develop their role as mothers and/or primary care givers and acknowledge the centrality of their connections with family and significant others.
. Correctional services will foster personal responsibility by offering meaningful choices and maximising the individual.s control over physical environment and circumstances.
Key issues facing the
the department in
managing female offenders
Health and well-being
The majority of female offenders enter the correctional system with very high physical, mental health and well-being needs. The Incidence of self-harm within the correctional system has risen dramatically in recent times. A Women Prisoners. Health Survey conducted in 2002 identified that 57% of women reported having been diagnosed with a mental illness, the most common being depression. Previous experiences of domestic violence, sexual abuse and injecting drug use are common. Other issues include Hepatitis C, poor reproductive health, unplanned pregnancy, poor nutrition, low levels of exercise, high levels of being overweight or obese, and high rates of smoking and drinking.
The management of female offenders at risk of self-harm poses particular support and management challenges.
The health and well-being needs of female offenders are a manifestation of their on-going health status within the community.
Drug abuse
Drug-related offences comprise a significant proportion of female offences and women prisoners report high levels of drug use in the community. Gender-specific research-based models of management and rehabilitation of female drug abusers are required in order to reduce incarceration and recidivism.
Over-representation of Indigenous female offenders
Indigenous women represented 29% of the female population as at August 2002 compared with 22% in 2001 and were concentrated in secure correctional centres, often far from their communities. The challenge is to develop alternative placements for Indigenous women, diversionary options and culturally-appropriate management strategies, including programs.
Parental responsibilities
The majority of female offenders are primary carers of dependant children. Assisting female offenders to maintain and enhance their family relationships, where appropriate, ensures that the child is not punished for the mother.s offending, and can assist with rehabilitation. Challenges include balancing a mother.s needs with the best interests of the child, the provision of a range of options for family contact, and ensuring that departmental policies and procedures recognise parental responsibilities.
Planning and service delivery
During the past 10 years, the number of female offenders in the prison system has increased significantly from around 75 in 1993 to 290 in 2003. Recidivism is also a concern, with the rate for female offenders returning to custody within two years of release at 27% in December 2002. Even so, the numbers of female offenders are comparatively small. The challenge for the department is to provide infrastructure and appropriate services to meet the needs of female offenders while at the same time enabling the maintenance of offenders. families and community support networks across a large state.
Outputs, goals, key
performance measures,
strategies and action
The department.s Strategic Plan 2003-2008 identifies three outputs. These outputs provide the framework for goals, strategies and actions for enhancing the management of female offenders. Performance indicators will help us measure our progress towards achieveing these goals. Further review and development will occur during annual planning cycles. Detailed actions will be developed in operational plans across the agency.
Output: Facility-based containment services
Goal: Integrated and effective management and supervision of offenders in accordance with assessed risks and needs
Key performance measures
. Incidence of assault, suicide and self-harm for female offenders.
. Percentages of illicit drug-use identified from random urinalysis testing for female offenders in secure, open and community custody
Action
Strategy
. Ensure that facilities offer safe and non-threatening environments to maximise opportunities for the well-being of staff and offenders
. Establish a functional support unit at Brisbane Women.s Correctional Centre for the management of female offenders who are at risk of self-harm
. Review crisis support management at Townsville Women.s Correctional Centre and investigate accommodation options for female offenders in need of crisis support
. Establish Murri meeting places in all female correctional facilities
. Develop Indigenous Peer Support Programs in all female facilities
. Provide specific health promotion interventions (for example, pap screens, nutrition, exercise, sun safety)
. Review transport processes for female offenders when accessing medical services outside a correctional centre
Output: Facility-based containment services
Strategy
Action
. Strengthen offender management processes to ensure offenders are offered an integrated and structured progression through their sentences
. Complete female-specific modules of the Pre-release Transition Program and pilot at Helana Jones Community Corrections Centre. Investigate further means of providing post-release support
. Develop procedures to assist operational areas to commence using video conferencing equipment
. Develop a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Corrective Services and the Department of Housing to address issues relating to female offenders who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless upon release from custody
. Develop a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Families in relation to the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program Funded Services to provide access by female offenders to domestic violence services pre-release and to meet their accommodation needs after release
Strategy
Action
. Review staff recruitment and selection processes to ensure appropriate staff are engaged to work with female offenders
. Promote the recruitment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff in accordance with Workforce Diversity and Understanding: The Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander Recruitment and Retention Strategy 2000 . 2005
. Provide training and support to staff in managing the specific risks and needs of female offenders, in particular the management of mental health issues
. Include resources on the department.s intranet site for staff who provide services to female offenders
. Provide holistic and integrated support services for effective offender management
Output: Community supervision services
Goal: Integrated and effective management and supervision of offenders in accordance with assessed risks and need
Key performance measures
. Percentage of successfully completed orders by female offenders
. Rates of breach by reconviction by female offenders
Strategy
Action
. Tailor service delivery pratices to meet specific needs of target groups
. Review staff recruitment and selection processes to ensure appropriate staff are engaged to work with female offenders
. Promote the recruitment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff in accordance with Workforce Diversity and Understanding: The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Recruitment and Retention Strategy 2000 - 2005
. Review procedures in relation to reporting arrangements for offenders with childcare responsibilities
Action
Strategy
. Develop, trial and evaluate integrated approaches to offender management (for example, Drug Courts and the Community Service Enforcement and Enhancement Project)
. Investigate appropriate sentencing and diversionary options for female offenders
Output: Correctional intervention services
Goal: Minimisation of the risk of re-offending through targeted and coordinated intervention services
Key performance measures
. Participation and completion rates of female offenders in departmental programs for secure, open and community custody and community supervision
. Industry participation rates for female offenders for secure and open custody
. Participation rates in literacy/numeracy programs and vocational education and training programs for female offenders for secure and open custody
Action
Strategy
. Undertake research to identify best practice in the management of female offenders
. Incorporate best practice principles for the management of female offenders into the integrated offender management strategy
. Incorporate collection of relevant data relating to female offenders into the Integrated Offender Management System
. Provide training for staff in meeting the assessed needs of female offenders, in particular Indigenous female offenders
. Design and implement monitoring and evaluation systems to ensure that interventions are effective and delivered efficiently
Strategy
Action
. Investigate and implement gender appropriate research-based models of management and rehabilitation of female substance abusers
. Provide ways of addressing drug and alcohol use and misuse, including detection, treatment, medical options and interventions
Strategy
Action
. Develop a coordinated approach to rehabilitation by linking prison industries with training and employment opportunities for female offenders
. Implement an integrated approach to the delivery of vocational education and training programs, including links with prison industries
Output: Correctional intervention services
Strategy
Action
. Develop and deliver a range of interventions appropriate to the assessed risks and needs of offenders including targeted interventions to meet cultural, gender and disability needs
. Develop effective partnerships with other government departments and contribute to whole-of-government initiatives and projects
. Establish links and formalise arrangements with other agencies that are able to provide intervention services that may assist in the management of female offenders
. Develop and maintain formal relationships with Indigenous community justice governance groups
. Review departmental programs and revise where necessary to meet gender needs
. Identify and implement strategies to address the issues raised in the Queensland Women Prisoners. Health Survey
. Develop and implement a Language Services Policy to ensure the needs of non-English speaking offenders are met
. Develop and implement a Disabilities Services Policy
. Develop a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Corrective Services and Disability Services Queensland in relation to the needs of offenders with an intellectual disability
. Contribute to whole-of-government initiatives including crime prevention, creating safer and more supportive communities, valuing and supporting families, achieving an improved quality of life for Indigenous Queenslanders, reducing the number of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system, suicide prevention, domestic and family violence and harmful drug-use
Output: Correctional intervention services
Goal: Appropriate opportunities for offenders to make reparation to the community
Key performance measures
. Financial value of work performed in Queensland through the Women.s CommunityCustody Program
. The number of community service project sites suitable for female offenders, in particular those offenders who have primary childcare responsibilities
Action
Strategy
. Provide efficient and quality community service projects for participation by offenders
. Develop community service projects that provide female offenders with opportunities to gain work-related skills and are appropriate for female offenders who have primary childcare responsibilities