There is a large body of research that provides guidance for those
working with offenders on how they should be treated once they are
in the correctional system. The problem is that most, if not all
this research has been conducted on all male populations and it is
assumed that women offenders are the same. However, women have
different needs and support systems than men in some areas of their
lives and it is unclear whether all research based on men can be
generalized in this way.
The book provides a review of the research literature to guide
evidence-based practice in the assessment and treatment of adult
female offenders. An historical overview of women’s crime and
imprisonment will be followed by a global review of various
theories of female criminality. The remainder of the book
reviews the psychology of criminal conduct, with a specific focus
on three psychological principles of effective intervention: risk,
need and responsivity. Respectively, these principles set the
‘who’, ‘what’ and ‘how’ for
correctional intervention.
Table of Content
About the Authors ix
Series Editors’ Preface xi
Preface xv
Acknowledgements xix
1 The Extent and Nature of Female Offending and Incarceration Patterns 1
2 Theories of Female Offending 15
3 Assessment for Classification of Women Offenders 41
4 Assessing Women’s Risk 53
5 Assessing Women’s Needs 83
6 Responsivity, Treatment and Women Offenders 115
7 Conclusion 137
References 149
Index 171
About the author
Kelley Blanchette completed her doctorate in forensic psychology at Carleton University, Ottawa, 10 2005. Her dissertation was focused on the development and field validation of a gender-informed security classification scale for women offenders. The scale has subsequently been implemented into national practice within the Canadian federal correctional system.
Dr. Blanchette has been working with the Research Branch, Correctional Service of Canada, since 1993. She is currently the Director of Women Offender Research, and she has published extensively in this area.
Shelley Brown completed her doctorate in forensic psychology at Queen’s University, Kingston in 2002. Her dissertation focused on understanding the criminal recidivism process with a specific interest in exploring how changes in dynamic risk factors influence criminal recidivism.
Dr. Brown has over ten years’ experience working with the Research branch, Correctional Service of Canada. During this time her research with women focused primarily on developing gender-informed assessment strategies. Currently, she is the Research Advisor to the National Parole Board of Canada. She is also an adjunct professor with Carleton University and teaches a criminology research methods course.