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338 12 Corrections and Prison Practices—Family Forensics

programs exist inside the prisons to provide the treatment that such women need to

assist them in recovering from their addictions. Research has repeatedly shown that

incarceration alone does not alter the subsequent criminal behavior of drug-abusing

offenders (Moon, Thompson, & Bennett, 1993; National Institute of Corrections,

1991). Policy reforms are drastically needed given that most women prisoners are

substance abusers, most prisons do not offer substance abuse treatment, and incar-

ceration without a treatment component does not curb recidivism for offenders

who abuse drugs or alcohol.

Forensic psychologists can also be instrumental in developing programs which

support contact between imprisoned mothers and their children. Given that such

programs did exist for a short period of time, it can be assumed that the legislature

once saw promise in such initiatives, yet no longer deems them to be beneficial

or cost effective. With the expertise of both criminological and psychological ap-

proaches to the issues at hand, forensic psychologists have valuable services to offer

in this area.

Suggestions for Future Research

Compared to the literature on male prisoners, the research on women confined is
relatively scarce. Female prisoners have only recently received concentrated atten-
tion as a separate cohort from their male counterparts. While the existing research
strongly supports contact between women prisoners and their children, studies are
needed that compare those women who do receive such visits with those who
do not in terms of their psychological well-being, their behavioral conduct within
the prison, and their future criminal behavior. One of the primary goals of the
criminal justice system is the reduction of future criminal behavior. Therefore, re-
cidivism studies need to be conducted that compare women who receive substance
abuse treatment while incarcerated with those who do not. Finally, for many rea-
sons, alternative sentencing programs need to be examined for women who have
committed nonviolent offenses. If such programs are found to be equally effec-
tive at reducing recidivism among women offenders as are correctional placements,
then their implementation would be sensible economically, psychologically, and
criminologically.