NCJ Number
200995
Date Published
2002
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This action plan lays out issues and offers recommendations to the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) on how to best meet the needs of adult and juvenile female offenders.
Abstract
The primary focus of the action plan is to respond to the unique needs of female offenders in a gender- and culturally-responsive way. A parity statute that was passed in Minnesota in 1981 assures that female offenders are provided a range and quality of services and programming that is substantially equivalent to the programming offered to male offenders. Furthermore, in a continuum of care law for juveniles that was passed in Minnesota in 1994, the legislature recognized that female offenders have different needs than male offenders and that female offenders deserve to have their needs met in a comprehensive continuum of care. The recommendations contained in this document are offered by the Planning for Female Offender Unit (PFO), the Advisory Task Force on the Female Offender, and the Interagency Adolescent Female Subcommittee (IAFS). The main issues discussed, and the recommendations made, fall under the topics of risk assessment tools for female offenders, cognitive-behavioral programming, case plans, restorative justice, primary services, supervision workload standards, transition services, and outcome measures. Furthermore, strategies for furthering the work of the PFO, the Advisory Task Force, and the IAFS are presented in each section. The outcome goal of the action plan is to assist the Minnesota Department of Corrections in integrating the recommendations for gender- and culturally-responsive services for women and girls into the DOC's 8 Point Plan. Bibliography