Impact of Victimization in the Lives of Incarcerated Women in South Carolina, 2000-2002 (ICPSR 9418)

Time Period(s) View help for Time Period(s)

Date of Collection View help for Date of Collection

Data Collection Notes View help for Data Collection Notes

Hide

Study Purpose View help for Study Purpose

With the growing problem of overcrowding in women's prisons, reformers have advocated for research on the gender-specific motivations and needs of female offenders. This project examined victimization in the lives of incarcerated women, specifically victimization as a risk factor for crime, with particular emphasis on the direct and indirect ways in which the impact of victimization contributed to criminal involvement. The study extended beyond prevalence studies by examining women's own perspectives, not only about criminal acts, but also on critical events and turning points, supports and barriers, and ways that life factors intersected -- bringing the women to their current place. The study's objectives were designed to enhance understanding of: (1) risk factors for women's crime, with specific emphasis on contributions of violent victimization over the life span, including ways violence has an impact on crime by affecting health, psychosocial functioning, and involvement in systems such as family and work, (2) "turning points" over the lifespan, specifically points of vulnerability to victimization and/or criminal involvement, as well as points when life paths took more positive turns, (3) self-identified strengths or circumstantial "buffers" that the women perceived as mitigating the negative impact of violence on their lives, and (4) implications of study findings for the enhancement of prevention, intervention, and justice programming.

Study Design View help for Study Design

Interviews were conducted with 60 women incarcerated in a maximum security state correctional facility in South Carolina from October 2001 to August 2002. The women had been convicted of drug offenses, property offenses, child abuse and neglect, violence toward partners, and other crimes. As prospective participants were sampled from the prison's database, they were sent a memo that briefly described the project and indicated a date and time that the woman would be excused from daily activities to learn more about participation. At the scheduled time, each prospective participant met individually with the interviewer in a private meeting area on prison grounds. Individual interviews lasted approximately two hours each. Interview measures consisted of participant responses to loosely-structured open-ended prompts and addressed each woman's own perspective on psychological, physical, and sexual victimization within her life, as well as her history of family and peer relationships, alcohol and drug use, and criminal activity. Prompts provided respondents with opportunities to describe significant events in their lives, to bring together distinct chronologies of events, and to analyze links between varied life events, allowing the project to achieve a participant-guided perspective on each woman's life history and circumstances. Women were given an excused absence from work for the time required to participate and were provided with complimentary soft drinks and snacks during participation. They were also provided with a Certificate of Completion that they could keep for their case folders. Prison policy did not allow tape recording of interviews, so each interviewer kept handwritten field notes throughout interviewing. Immediately following each interview, these notes were transcribed by the interviewer using third-person perspective to underscore that the transcripts were not direct quotes, in that the women's thoughts had been necessarily filtered through the interviewer in the transcription process. However, in accord with the project's goals of seeking the woman's own perspective on events in her life, every attempt was made to honor the veracity of the woman's account. The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) provided demographic and criminal history information for each prospective participant, including participants, no-shows, and decliners (Part 1) and for the female prison population without the prospective participants (Part 2). These data were used for sampling decisions and provide descriptive information on sample characteristics. In addition, the SCDC provided inmate data on offenses committed while in the SCDC (Part 3), disciplinary actions at the SCDC (Part 4), education through the SCDC (Part 5), and known prior offenses (Part 6). The project also conducted online searches in NewsLibrary for media reports concerning women who participated in the study. These reports were helpful in pinpointing certain events within the chronology of women's accounts, and will be useful in future research examining convergence or divergence of women's perspectives (interview data) with those of the system (prison records) and of the public (media reports).

Sample View help for Sample

The site was chosen with consideration of research questions, methodological feasibility, and ultimate social impact. Because this facility also houses low-risk women with special medical needs, the site offered some sampling flexibility and substantial on-site support if needed for research logistics or follow-up with participants. Within the prospective participant pool of 465 female inmates at the chosen facility, participants were sampled with consideration of criteria set forth by Browne and Associates (1999). These researchers suggested that sampling allow time for women to move beyond initial adjustment to prison conditions (e.g., the first two months are "chaotic and potentially frightening"). Sampling after this time allows for women to become familiar with routines and become involved in program activities. Therefore, 165 inmates still under "reception and evaluation" were excluded, as well as women with severe mental illness, women considered at mental health risk at the time, women serving disciplinary time or protective custody in segregated housing, and women medically hospitalized at the time of eligibility. Due to human-subjects considerations, women under 18 years of age were ineligible. Within the parameters of the remaining population of 203 inmates, the prison's searchable database was used to randomly sample participants. Prospective participants were drawn from the eligible pool in batches. They were provided with an opportunity to participate, and sampling continued until the final sample size of 60 women was reached. The sample of 60 participants included women from a range of demographic backgrounds, criminal backgrounds, and lengths of sentences. Analyses of variance indicated that women who did not show up for participation or who declined to participate did not differ from study participants with respect to race, education level, time to serve before possible release, or time served prior to onset of interviews. Those who did not participate, however, were slightly older than study participants. Analyses of variance also indicated no differences between study participants and the broader statewide women's correctional population with regard to race, age, or education level. Those who participated in the study, however, had significantly longer times to serve before possible release than other female inmates statewide. The longer time-to-serve was determined to be a sampling artifact.

Universe View help for Universe

All inmates in the maximum security state women's correctional facility in South Carolina from October 2001 to August 2002.

Unit(s) of Observation View help for Unit(s) of Observation

Data Source View help for Data Source

Data Type(s) View help for Data Type(s)

Mode of Data Collection View help for Mode of Data Collection

Description of Variables View help for Description of Variables

Variables include age, race, number of children, marital status, criminal offense history, correctional disciplinary records, probation/parole information, victim/witness notification, corrections program participation, intelligence scores, math and reading scores, basic academic history/degrees, mental health assessment, and special medical needs.

Response Rates View help for Response Rates

A total of 77 women were invited to participate in the study. Thus, 17 women who were eligible did not participate. Ten of these women failed to show up for the initial appointment, with half of being attributable to scheduling conflicts (e.g., health care appointment) or logistical problems (e.g., the invitation to participate was not properly delivered). Of the remaining women who showed up but declined, six women indicated they "were just not interested" and one said she was "not up to it" emotionally at the time.

Presence of Common Scales View help for Presence of Common Scales

None

Hide

Original Release Date View help for Original Release Date

2007-02-05

Version History View help for Version History

Hide

Weight View help for Weight

None

Hide