GENDER-RESPONSIVE PROGRAMMING: MEETING THE MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF WOMEN IN REENTRY

<p>The exponential increase in the annual number of women released from prison in the United States underscores the imperative need for holistic, fully integrated gender-responsive reentry services. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand the unique contributions of paraprofessional staff charged with meeting the multi-layered, programmatic needs of women offenders with co-occurring disorders. A qualitative, evidence-based interview guide was used to analyze the utilization of gender-responsive services provided by 21 paraprofessionals throughout four Southern California Counties. The findings indicate that while paraprofessional staff members understand the concept and approach of gender-responsive oriented services, there remain significant programmatic barriers that not only impair the reduction of recidivism rates, but also undermine successful community reentry efforts. These findings support the inherent micro and macro-based approaches to social work that acknowledge a systems approach to improving outcomes for women offenders striving toward health and wellness.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Social Work

Level thesis:degree_level

Restricted Project: Campus only access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

School of Social Work

Year dc:date.available

2015

Authors dc:creator

• Quintana-Steinberg, Sandra J.
• Salazar, Christina D.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Herbert Shon

• women offenders
• reentry
• gender-responsive
• mental health
• Social and Behavioral Sciences

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/161

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu:etd-1169