ABSTRACT
Female offending and drug addiction are often intertwined and a higher incidence of problematic harder, and poly, drug use is reported by female prisoners compared with male prisoners and females in the general population. The literature suggests that many women in prison may not disclose dependencies through fear of losing their children. Whether the women interviewed had been abusing substances for a longer period of time, or addictions were created as a result of possible incarceration, there were differences in their post-custody experiences. The majority of the mothers with addictions said that although they may not have accessed appropriate levels of support in prison, custody had given them an opportunity to address their dependencies, and prompted a re-analysis of their addictions. For the few women who entered prison with pre-existing addictions, little assistance was provided in prison apart from a period of detoxification, and as a result, many of these women continued to struggle with these issues post-custody.
