Since 1985 the population of female prisoners has risen at nearly double the rate of males. Because women prisoners have historically been few, however, corrections policy has often not taken gender-specific needs into account. But over time, it has become increasingly obvious that female prisoners have different needs than men.
Emily*, a slender, 27-year-old prisoner, sports a tattoo of a panther curled over her left hand. On a Monday morning, she sits at a cafeteria-style table at the InnerChange Freedom Initiative® (IFI) unit, a values-based reentry program at Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic & Correctional Center in Vandalia, Missouri. During worship, an inmate queues up a recording of Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel.” The inmates sing along loudly, loving how it expresses their need to relinquish control of their lives to God.
But Emily starts to rock in her chair, tears slipping down her cheeks. She has a manila folder and she writes across the front of it: Jesus, take the wheel. She pauses for a moment and then adds another line from the song: I can’t do it on my own.
When the music fades, she wipes her palm across her face.
“I can’t believe it made me cry like that,” she says, embarrassed.
“A lot of people cry when I sing,” says an older inmate across the table.
Emily laughs and stands up, her prison grays tenting out unexpectedly from her midsection. She is four months pregnant with her first child, she says.
Like women anywhere, the other inmates offer her their congratulations.
Since 1985 the population of female prisoners has risen at nearly double the rate of males. Because women prisoners have historically been few, however, corrections policy has often not taken gender-specific needs into account. But over time, it has become increasingly obvious that female prisoners have different needs than men. By learning about the issues specific to women behind bars, volunteers can respond to them more effectively.
Walking Wounded
“A lot of them have scars from [alcohol-related] car wrecks or fights. Lots have tattoos or heroin tracks on their forearms,” says Janet McLaughlin, a retired Missouri school teacher and Prison Fellowship volunteer who has counseled female prisoners for four years. But, she adds, many of their scars go far deeper. “Many have traumatic and abusive pasts that they need to share.”
While many prisoners of both genders have abusive pasts in common, female inmates have a greater statistical likelihood of experiencing physical and sexual trauma. The resulting pain often helps drive them into the most frequent convictions for women: substance abuse and property crime to support addictions.
Women need programs that target not just their addictions and behaviors, but the hurts that frequently underlie them. And because women differ from men, their programs should look different, too.
Lisa Thomas, an ex-offender and prisoner reentry advocate, has ministered to thousands of incarcerated women. She observes that, in general, women respond more quickly than men to programs that draw on their affinity for verbal communication and emotional connection.
“They want somebody to hear them. They want somebody to love them,” says Thomas. “The men will respond to that, also, but women are willing to get down to the exact nature of what’s going on a lot quicker.” She recommends that more facilities implement free, relationally intensive, 12-step programs like Celebrate Recovery, Alcoholics Anonymous, and Narcotics Anonymous. She also recommends that female mentors dedicate themselves to listening, but also to accountability and solid, biblical guidance.
Without programs that specifically target women’s abusive pasts through healthy, accountable relationships, warns Thomas, female prisoners risk getting trapped in a “habitual revolving door.”
Keeping the Peace
Incarcerated women may also face difficult relationships with other female inmates. According to Lana Black, who directs the IFI unit in Vandalia, many of the women who come into her office to talk want to discuss problems with their cell mates.
These problems can stem from a variety of sources, including under-developed conflict resolution skills.
While women prisoners commit fewer violent acts than men, “there is bickering . . . some try to manipulate,” says McLaughlin. “[They] try to blame instead of taking responsibility.”
Many female inmates have never seen healthy models of conflict resolution, and so they act out according to what they have learned in negative relationships beginning at childhood.
But female inmates can change. “If they can get past the blaming,” says McLaughlin, “there’s hope for recovery and a better life.” Values-based units like IFI that teach positive relationships can help female inmates arrive at a place of empathy, responsibility, and constructive conflict resolution.
At other times, though, conflict can arise from undiagnosed or improperly treated mental health issues. According to a 2006 report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, at least 73 percent of incarcerated women have a mental health problem, a rate 20 percent higher than men. And that can lead to problems.
McLaughlin cites the case of one woman that had a hard time getting along with anyone because of her erratic behavior. As a former elementary school teacher, McLaughlin recognized the symptoms and suspected that she had adult attention-deficit disorder.
“I encouraged her to talk to doctors and get appropriate medication,” she says. “Things are much better now.”
To help female inmates resolve conflict, in-prison volunteers can start by modeling healthy conflict resolution, and also point to biblical alternatives for handling conflict, like being slow to speak but quick to forgive, overlooking petty hurts, and praying for one’s antagonists.
If you suspect than an inmate might have a mental health problem that’s contributing to her relational difficulties, start by raising the issue with a Prison Fellowship staff member or prison chaplain who can help acquaint you with resources available at the facility.
Moms Behind Bars
Well over half of incarcerated women have minor children.
“It’s hard for them to adjust to separation from their children,” says McLaughlin. “And if they’ve been addicted, they probably weren’t good mothers in the first place, which is hard to face.”
Separation from their minor children weighs heavily on incarcerated mothers, but it can also offer a special window for ministry that will help them turn their lives around.
If you work with incarcerated women who have minor children, encourage them to register their children for Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree® program, which will deliver a gift and a personal message “from Mom” to each child at Christmastime. The registration process begins in July, and applications must be postmarked by September 1 of each year. Some other restrictions apply, so visit www.angeltree.org to learn more.
McLaughlin also recommends that incarcerated mothers correspond with their children, if possible and legally permissible. They can start by asking their children’s forgiveness for past wrongs, reassuring them of their love, and encouraging them to do well in school and other pursuits.
As relationships get stronger, mothers behind bars gain motivation to avoid recidivism, as well as hope that their children will not imitate their errors.
The Final Answer
Holistic ministry that addresses women’s trauma, substance abuse, mental health, and family relationships can help begin the process of transformation.
But there’s one more important step.
As female prisoners realize they “can’t do it on their own,” what they need most is an introduction to Jesus Christ, the only One who can enable them to surmount every difficulty.
“Some things,” says McLaughlin, “they just need the Lord’s help to get through.”
*The inmate’s name has been changed to protect her privacy.