The number of women incarcerated in the United States continues to rise each year. In Chicago, Illinois, the number of women admitted to Cook County Jail (CCJ) increased from 9,600 in 1992 to 15,356 in 2000. Many of these women have suffered from physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at various times in their lives.
In order to guide the development of a domestic violence service program at CCJ, health service staff conducted a series of focus groups with incarcerated women. Twenty-five randomly selected women voluntarily participated in these groups. Each group lasted one hour and consisted of general questions regarding domestic violence knowledge and needs. In addition, women completed a brief demographic questionnaire.
The results indicate that 100% of the participants had been victims of domestic violence. All of the women in the groups reported that there were no domestic violence services available to them at CCJ. The women expressed a need for obtaining direct counseling while incarcerated, as well as getting more information about services for themselves and their children upon release from jail.
This study demonstrates an acute need for domestic violence services for incarcerated women. In addition, these findings will help us better understand this population’s barriers to accessing community resources. The jail offers a unique opportunity for community based domestic violence agencies to educate women about domestic violence issues and provide information about services available to women upon their release. Recommendations for linking community agencies and incarcerated women will be presented.
Learning Objectives: 1. To recognize that incarcerated women are in acute need of domestic violence services. 2. To identify barriers that exist in providing domestic violence services to incarcerated women. 3. To provide linkages with community based domestic violence agencies that will help women get necessary services while in jail and upon their release.
Keywords: Incarceration,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.