Women’s experiences in mental health jail intervention programs

Abstract

Although women in jail are the fastest-growing correctional population in the United States and research suggests that gender, race, and ethnicity predict the experiences of incarcerated people, scant research has addressed the experiences of women in jail. The current study analyzed bivariate statistics (Pearson’s chi-squares and independent-samples t tests) in two studies to highlight differences in mental health needs, jail-based processes, and mental health jail interventions (MHJIs) between Women of Color (WoC) and White Women (WW). Findings show important differences exist among WW and WoC. For example, we found WW were more likely than WoC to receive past mental health treatment and to be currently taking medications for a mental health diagnosis. Additionally, compared to WW, WoC are more likely to participate in MHJI programs in metropolitan counties and received more mental health services in the pre-period. Interventions designed to reduce recidivism should be designed with these differences in mind.