ABSTRACT
Women in prison are not a homogeneous group. Like all women everywhere, their life experiences and life chances are influenced by factors such as socio-economic status, local cultural norms, religion, ethnicity and race. Although most women who have experienced prison will have some issues in common, in terms of the impact of imprisonment on their lives, there are also issues that are specific to particular sociocultural groups. This chapter focuses on the ways in which one service provider developed a culturally specific approach to assist a particular sociocultural group of women exiting prison in the Perth metropolitan area of Western Australia. The women in question were Aboriginal women, most of whom identified themselves as belonging to the Nyoongar people, Aboriginal Australians from in and around the Perth and south-west areas of Western Australia.
