Programs for Incarcerated Women Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Programs for Incarcerated Women - Research Paper Example Previously, women in prison were arrested and incarcerated for violent crimes such as murder, poisoning and arson, but the last few decades saw that a growing number of new female inmates were inside a prison for non-violent crimes, meaning these are crimes which are economic in nature. This is not a surprising fact, given that a lot of female inmates belong to racial and ethnic or other minorities such as those belonging to the lower socio-economic classes or being uneducated. The negative effect of incarcerated mothers gave rise to innovative ideas and approaches when it comes to dealing with children whose mothers are in prison. Special attention was paid to their daughters, and that is how the Girl Scouts of the USA came out with their â€Å"Girl Scouts Beyond Bars† program which made a positive influence on people who would otherwise had lost hope. Keywords: daughters, drugs, economic, girl scouts, incarcerated, women in prison Introduction The issue of women in prison is a very sensitive topic for most people. Only lately has it caught the attention of policy makers, politicians and other interested parties because of the so-called women's movement, or feminism. The previous research on this subject was limited to the gender gap among highly visible political issues such as voting preferences between males and females, social equality discussions at the workplace, abortion rights and gender differences in attitudes towards crime and punishment. Some studies showed that most women, who feel that they are more vulnerable to crime due to their enhanced feelings of insecurity, usually favor a harsher and more severe punishment for convicted offenders to serve as deterrence. Female attitudes with regard to appropriate punishments include a longer prison sentence and capital punishment. The prevailing psychology in this regard is that punishment is used as deterrence for potential crime offenders and that the said punishment will somehow reduce crime in society. Women feel particularly vulnerable when it comes to certain crimes in which by their very nature, women are the predominant victims, such as domestic violence and rape. A general perception is that the two sexes have a different attitude towards crime and punishment, with women oriented to more â€Å"ethic in care† while men prefer the â€Å"ethic in equity of justice† by which criminals must be punished immediately with enough severity, sometimes by applying death penalty. Only lately has the issue of women in prison been brought out into the open and included in the public discourse. The feminists have done quite a job in highlighting the problems of women in prison, including the racial and economic differences found to be inherent in the criminal justice system, and in particular, how female prisoners fare. This topic is the subject of this paper. Discussion The previous focus of the women's movement had been on the perceived vulnerability of women to cert ain crimes targeting them specifically. This feeling of fear and insecurity is of a great consequence in terms of their feeling and perception as potential victims. However, a new feminist focus today is one on the problem of women ending up in prisons and all the other issues related to female incarceration. The prior years had been focused on women as victims, but this new tack in public discourse has now shifted to women as