ABSTRACT
Over the past three decades, American correctional practices have made the transition from prioritising the goals of punishment and incapacitation to emphasising the importance of rehabilitation. Progress in the field of corrections through the latter portion of the 20th century paralleled social and political movements affecting all American society. Over time, offender rights and services slowly improved. Newer practices were increasingly informed by research instead of political forces (Cullen and Gendreau 2001). Yet, even in the context of these transitions, women offenders were, at best, assumed to have the same needs as men – at worst they were ignored. Research informing innovative practices was based almost exclusively on samples of male offenders, and all aspects of the correctional experience, including rules, treatment programmes and procedures for identifying offender risk levels and programme needs, were based on a male model.
