Public Correctional Policy on Adult
and Juvenile Female Offender Services

Introduction:

Correctional systems must practice gender responsiveness in the development of services and programs for adult and juvenile female offenders. Programs must be designed and implemented to meet the needs of this population.

Policy Statement:

Correctional systems must be guided by the principle of gender responsiveness and recognize the physical, behavioral, social, and cultural differences between female and male offenders, and how those differences should be reflected in policies and practices. Female offenders must receive a full range of services that recognize the realities of their lives and address the specific needs of this population. Correctional agencies should:

A. Acknowledge that gender makes a difference in what works for adult and juvenile female offenders and review all policies, programs and practices, including classification systems, to ensure they are gender-responsive;

B. Provide both human and financial resources to create a system wide approach to the pro vision of adult/juvenile-centered services that creates a safe, nondiscriminatory and supportive environment;

C. Ensure all staff including contract employees and volunteers working with female offenders are carefully screened and provided specific training in order to effectively provide services;

D. Provide a full range of integrated, age- and developmentally appropriate, gender-responsive pro grams and services that address sub stance abuse treatment, trauma, physical and mental health to include prenatal care, relation ships, spirituality, economic self- sufficiency, reentry and legal issues;

E. Facilitate the maintenance and strengthening of family ties, especially those between mother and child;

F. Implement a full range of alter natives to incarceration, including pre- and post-trial diversion, probation, restitution, and community residential and parole/aftercare services, designed to meet the needs of this population;

G. Develop gender-responsive conditions of confinement and implement humane, relevant security policies and practices to include proper nutrition, clothing, personal property, hygiene supplies, exercise, and recreation/ wellness programs; and

H. Provide access to a full range of work and other programs designed to expand economic self-sufficiency;

This Public Correctional Policy was unanimously ratified by the American Correctional Association Delegate Assembly at the Congress of Correction in San Antonio, Aug. 23, 1984. It was reviewed at the Winter Conference in Nashville, Tenn., on Jan. 1 7 1990, with no change. It was reviewed and amended Aug. 9, 1995, at the Congress of Correction in Cincinnati. It was reviewed and amended Aug. 16, 2000, at the Congress of Correction in San Antonio. It was reviewed and amended at the Winter Conference in Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 1, 2006.

All of ACA’s public correctional policies and resolutions can be found on its Web site www.aca.org.

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