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SLC Special Series Report Female Offenders: Special Needs and Southern State Challenges Prepared by Todd Alan Edwards, Regional Representative Southern Legislative Conference of The Council of State Governments Female Offenders: Special Needs and Southern State Challenges A Special Series Report of the Southern Legislative Conference © Copyright August 2000 Southern Office The Council of State Governments 3355 Lenox Road, N.E. Suite 1050 Atlanta, Georgia 30326 404/266-1271 Colleen Cousineau, Executive Director Acknowledgments The Human Services and Public Safety Committee of the Southern Legislative Conference, chaired by Senator Yvonne B. Miller, Virginia, has long focused on key correctional issues affecting Southern states. This Special Series Report examines the recent growth in the female inmate population, the unique characteristics and needs of women offenders, and the challenges states face in addressing those needs through their corrections systems. A special thanks to all those whose research has been incorporated in this report, and to the corrections administrators and staff across the South who assisted in gathering and verifying the information contained here. Their prior research and vital assistance provides an invaluable foundation on which this report is based. This report was prepared by Todd Edwards, Regional Representative for the Southern Legislative Conference of The Council of State Governments, under the Chairmanship of Speaker Jody Richards, Kentucky. Any concerns or comments may be addressed directly to Mr. Edwards via e-mail at [email protected]. Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 SECTION 1: The Female Offender Population: Trends, Offenses and Correctional Facilities .................................................................................. 3 The Numbers.................................................................................................................................. 3 Women Under State and Federal Correctional Supervision, 1980-1998 .................................. 3 Gender Comparisons ................................................................................................................. 5 Proportionately Speaking .......................................................................................................... 5 Other Correctional Supervision................................................................................................. 7 Womens Offenses: The War on Drugs ...................................................................... 8 Womens Correctional Facilities and Placement ................................................................... 10 Brief History of Women’s Prisons in America ....................................................................... 10 SLC State-Operated Women’s Prisons ................................................................................... 10 Prison Populations and Design Capacity ................................................................................ 11 Classification and Placement .................................................................................................. 13 SECTION 2: Womens Needs, Corrections Policies and Programs ................................... 14 Health Care .................................................................................................................................. 14 Access to Medical Care and Staff ........................................................................................... 14 Medical Co-Payments .............................................................................................................15 Substance Abuse ..................................................................................................................... 15 Mental Health .......................................................................................................................... 17 HIV/AIDS ............................................................................................................................... 18 Summary of Health Care Issues .............................................................................................. 19 Education, Vocational Training and Work Programs ............................................................ 20 Education ................................................................................................................................. 20 Vocational Training ................................................................................................................ 21 Prison Industry ........................................................................................................................ 21 Work ........................................................................................................................................ 22 Family Matters ............................................................................................................................. 23 Visitation ................................................................................................................................. 23 Pregnancy ................................................................................................................................ 25 Childbirth ................................................................................................................................ 25 Child Custody .......................................................................................................................... 26 Bonding and On-Site Care ...................................................................................................... 26 Placement of Newborns .......................................................................................................... 27 Parenting.................................................................................................................................. 28 Abuse and Victimization .........................................................................................................29 Addressing Abuse ................................................................................................................... 29 Staffing Issues and Privacy Concerns ...................................................................................... 31 Gender-Specific Staff Training ............................................................................................... 31 Custodial Sexual Misconduct .................................................................................................. 31 Other Privacy Restrictions ......................................................................................................32 SECTION 3: Facilities, Policies, Programs and Procedures: Southern State Comparisons ............................................................................................. 34 The Survey .................................................................................................................................... 34 Alabama .................................................................................................................................. 35 Arkansas .................................................................................................................................. 37 Florida ..................................................................................................................................... 39 Georgia .................................................................................................................................... 42 Kentucky ................................................................................................................................. 44 Louisiana ................................................................................................................................. 46 Maryland ................................................................................................................................. 48 Mississippi ............................................................................................................................... 51 Missouri ................................................................................................................................... 53 North Carolina ......................................................................................................................... 56 Oklahoma ................................................................................................................................ 59 South Carolina ......................................................................................................................... 62 Tennessee ................................................................................................................................ 65 Texas ...................................................................................................................................... 68 Virginia.................................................................................................................................... 72 West Virginia .......................................................................................................................... 75 Report Summary: State Challenges, Planning and Future