NCJ Number
102735
Date Published
1986
Length
17 pages
Annotation
To assess the risk posed by female offenders to the community, 169 women inmates released from Wisconsin prisons to community supervision between June 1980 and June 1982 were followed for 2 years after release.
Abstract
Both demographic characteristics and postrelease criminal activity were assessed. Results show that compared to the 32 percent of male releasees who engaged in postrelease criminal activity, only 18 percent of female releasees did so. Further, those women who engaged in criminal activity were unlikely to commit subsequent serious offenses. Only 3 percent engaged in an assaultive or attempted assaultive offense; the typical offenses were forgery, theft, or fraud. Characteristics found to be associated with a greater risk of re-offending among this sample included juvenile institutional placement, prior penal experience, and having dependents. Results suggest that women pose relatively little risk to the community, and that community facility placements and intensive supervision can be safely employed as alternatives to institutionalization and to relieve prison overcrowding. In addition, for many of these women, community placements would adequately protect the public while also costing less than secure placements. 3 tables. (Author abstract modified)