NCJ Number
155228
Date Published
1995
Length
100 pages
Annotation
This report of the Oregon Intermediate Sanctions for Female Offenders Policy Group is based on an 18-month compilation and analysis of a variety of qualitative and quantitative information on women offenders, the criminal justice decisionmaking process, and sanctioning and programming resources available to women offenders in Oregon.
Abstract
The Policy Group reached a consensus on a vision of an optimal criminal justice system for Oregon and recommends changes in policies and practices intended to improve the effectiveness of criminal justice system interventions with women offenders. The Policy Group's vision statement describes core values, goals, and strategies it advocates as the foundation for Oregon's criminal justice system. The Policy Group, along with other key Oregon decisionmakers, defined and described criminal justice processes at 12 key decision points from arrest through case closure. The Group examined issues of particular relevance to women offenders in the context of decision options available, articulated and unspoken policies that guide decisions, and information used in making decisions. Through panel discussions, the Policy Group elicited the perspectives of women offenders and of probation/parole officers about ways to enhance women offenders' probability of success under community supervision. A comprehensive inventory of services and sanctions available to women offenders throughout Oregon revealed that there are few specifically designed for women offenders. Although there is a wide array of interventions, services, and sanctions for offenders under community supervision, no sanctions were found that had an expressed emphasis on serving the needs of women offenders. Recommendations encourage comprehensive and accurate information about female offenders and the sanctions and services provided them, adequate resources for gender-specific programming for female offenders, the development of collaborative interagency partnerships to provide effective interventions that can help to break the intergenerational cycle of criminal behavior, and the continued development of policies and programs that consider the unique characteristics of female offenders. Figures, tables, and appended supplementary information