##usationing And Forms Of Self-Mutilation

Anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder in particular, also are prevalent among juvenile offenders, especially girls. Girls get put behind bars longer than boys because according to a document on Gale “Proportion Of Girls In Juvenile Justice System Is Going Up, Studies Find”, “what we can suppose is is that girls tend to be more likely to be the victims of sexual abuse or other domestic violence.” In the same document it also states that “so most girls come into the system for low-level offenses like running away from home, skipping school, smoking cigarettes on campus.” These bad habits could cause them to have problems later on in their life. Girls are likely to experience high rates of criminality, substance abuse, early pregnancy, and continued interpersonal violence. Because violence plays such a central role in the lives of so many girls in the juvenile justice system, in order to reduce the percentage of girls mental health is to require early identification and intervention to prevent the development of future problem

For numerous years, prison officials applied the same type of treatment for men and women. In the last decade with the increasing number of women incarcerated, research shows that women have different physical and emotional needs. For example, women are more attached to their children that they are leaving behind, and some have histories of physical and mental abuse. The creation of two programs, Key Crest and Forever Free were created to help with women specific issues. Recent studies done by National Institute of Justice studies found that participants in these two programs stayed drug and arrest free for over three years. Participants were tested and interviewed once a year for three years. The studies also showed that the programs provided aftercare and treatment in areas that were not addressed in previous years. Even though both varied in their approach, they both recognized the many ways there were to treat the needs of women and how they differ from men. The studies also show that gender specific programs do help inmates reenter into society.

Messina and Grella (2007) found that greater exposure to childhood trauma contributes to a higher prevalence of mental illness within the population of incarcerated women. Not only does the lack of mental health treatment in correctional facilities affect incarcerated women, there are also long term consequences to community health and recidivism rates (Messina & Grella, 2007).

It is no secret that the United States’ criminal justice system is majorly flawed in more ways than one. We hear of all of the injustice that many civilians face on a day to day basis, which mostly surrounds the problems related to men, but what about women? Why don’t we hear about the tribulations and sufferings that our women undergo on a day to day basis within our criminal justice system? As mentioned in an article from the American Jail Association, investigation in fields ranging from subjects of general and mental health, substance abuse and addiction relating to drugs and prescriptions, and physical violence against women combined with examination and practice in the criminal justice field, have discovered that women offenders experience challenges that are not only different from their male counterparts, but also greatly influence their involvement in criminal justice systems, including jails and prisons (Ney, 2014). This information alone provides a basis to why imprisoned women should be more of a topic. This literature review will examine the several ways in which women who are incarcerated experience emotional trauma; and in some ways, abuse. My hypothesis is that most of the trauma encountered by incarcerated women majorly branches from preceding events and occurrences that happened prior to becoming imprisoned, and that they worsen as a result of improper treatment and resources within

Gender plays a big role in whether or not the juvenile offenders get the treatment they need. Often female offenders are misunderstood or not taken seriously because they are stereotyped as criers, liars, and manipulators. If and when these girls do get treatment for mental health care, often it is not the correct one. In the Gaarder, Rodriguez, and Zats (2004) article

With general lack of appropriate mental health treatment available to women in correctional treatment programs, as well to the risk of recidivism associated with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse

It has already been established that the prison population for female offenders is growing, but the complexity of the population is changing as well. Special populations make up the group of female offenders, specifically including middle-aged inmates, physically ill inmates, and of course mentally ill inmates (Lewis, 200). The pathology of these women vary, many struggle or previously struggled with substance abuse, psychosis,

3. Some of the special problems female inmates face include health care, vocational trainning and work oppurtunities, potential sexual abuse by staff, substance abuse, and prblems relating to their children.(Seiter, pg219)

Dillon explains how these families “like extended bonds, is highly adaptive for coping with the stresses of oppression and socioeconomic skills (p. 286).” When a woman is going through hardship, the families want to be involved with one another’s problems. If one of these women is using self-harm as an outlet of trying to fit a role, losing connection with or from the family and the pressure of the outside community, the family structure and bond can harm the woman.

The research of this paper explores the history of mass incarceration and how it identifies with female inmates and the inadequate medical attention and treatment they incur worldwide within the prison system. The numbers of female incarceration has risen significantly within the past 7 years and is currently still rising. Due such a massive increase in female incarceration, health care services have not been able to provide and address the appropriate needs for this growing population of women. As a result, the healthcare of women mentally and physiologically has become a Public health concern in the prison system. Throughout history, from the establishment of the female incarceration, it has been discovered, various influences are some

Overview of the Issue On average, women make up about 7 percent of the total federal and state incarcerated population in the United States. This has increased since the 1980s due to stricter and more severe laws that focus on recreational drug use, a lack of community programs, and fewer treatment centers available for outpatients (Zaitow and Thomas, eds., 2003). According to the National Women's Law Centers, women prisoners report a higher than statistically normal history of domestic violence in their immediate past, and the fastest growing prison population with a disproportionate number of non-Whites forming over 60 percent of the population. In fact, over 30 percent of women in prison are serving sentences for murder involving a spouse or partner. The incarceration of women presents far different cultural and sociological issues than those of men issues with children, family, sexual politics and more (NWLC, 2012).

Women’s population in the prison system is growing vastly, and continues to grow. Julie Ajinkya (March 8, 2013). Rethinking How to Address the Growing Female Prison Population. Retrieved from www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/news. According to the center for progress from the years 2000 through 2009 the number of women incarcerated in state or federal prisons rose by 21.6 percent in comparison to 15.6 percent increase for men. Majority of the women in the prison system struggle with, mental illness, histories of physical and sexual abuse, drug addiction, poverty and a lack of education. These are all contributing factors as to why these women end up incarcerated. This also means that our society still chooses to punish these criminals rather than heal and rehabilitate these offenders. The offenders get pushed away in to the criminal justice system instead of receiving the services they need that could help them live healthy, secure, and productive lives. In the book George, E. (2010). “A Woman Doing Life; Notes from a Prison for Women” R. Johnson (Ed.). New York, NY Oxford University it explains a story of a women’s perspective inside prison looking out. She explains her highs and lows in the prison and the relationships she has with the corrections facility and its employees.

Many women who have been released from federal prison have reported that they have be either sexually or physically assaulted by a guard. Research has shown that the women prisons have 30% women guards and 70% male officers, this percentages give powerlessness and humility among female inmates which led to records of rape of the inmates or inappropriate and unnecessary groping during body searches.There was even a record of the case of Robin Lucas shows how the sexual identity of a woman may led to further abuse or torment by a guard. Robin Lucas was placed in a men’s prison where guards allowed male inmates to rape her. The guards teased her about her homosexuality, telling her that they could “maybe we can change your mind”. The worst part of having these rapist guards is having them instil fear and threats to inmates to not report them because the guard could easily just say how it was their fault. Even when reports of guards performing these acts, they are only transferred to another prison location instead of being terminated because of the prison not wanting any negative criticism on the situation that occurred between an inmate and a federal guard. Women inmates suffering from treatable diseases such as asthma, diabetes, cancer, previous miscarriages, and seizures have little or no access to medical attention, in most cases resulting in death or permanent injury. The failure to deliver needed drugs for inmates with HIV/AIDS has also been issues that haven't changed since reported. Many women in these prisons have had past history of drug abuse, domestic abuse, negligence, and sexual assault all leading to long term mental turmoil and illness like depression, post-traumatic disorder, and mood imbalance. With many of these mental illnesses in prisons it has led to many cases of out of control

Numerous ladies have traumatic and harsh pasts that they have to share," says Janet McLaughlin, a resigned Missouri teacher and Prison Fellowship volunteer. While numerous detainees of both sexes have harsh pasts in like manner, imprisoned ladies have a more noteworthy factual probability of encountering physical and sexual injury. The subsequent torment regularly helps drive them into the most incessant feelings for ladies: substance misuse and property wrongdoing to bolster addictions.

Since the Grassian (1983) publication, a number of investigators have claimed that inmates experienced a myriad of mental health concerns and symptoms, including appetite and sleep disturbance; anxiety, including panic; depression and hopelessness; irritability; anger and rage; lethargy; psychosis and cognitive rumination; social withdrawal; cognitive impairment; and suicidal ideation and self-injurious behaviors (see Andersen et al., 2000; Beven, 2005; Bonner, 2006; Brodsky & Scogin, 1988; Cloyes, Lovell, Allen, & Rhodes, 2006; F. Cohen, 2006, 2008, 2012; Glaze & Herberman, 2013; Grassian, 2006a, 2006b; Haney, 1993, 2003, 2009; Hayes & Rowan, 1988; Hresko, 2006; Kupers, 2008; Lovell, 2008; Metzner & Fellner, 2010; Miller & Young, 1997; P. S. Smith, 2008; Stephan, 2008). Offenders with mental illness are considered particularly vulnerable when placed in AS (Metzner & Fellner, 2010), as they may experience more mental health disturbance (i.e., greater symptomatology) than offenders with mental illness not placed in AS (O’Keefe, 2007; for a differing view, see Grassian & Friedman, 1986).