Working With Incarcerated And Reentering Women: Curricula And Resources For Individual And Group Work

Many researchers and practitioners working with justice-involved women understand the gendered nature of how women end up incarcerated. They also recognize that many (if not most) of the women in these institutions have experienced trauma – either as a child and/or as an adult. Practitioners working with women in jails and prisons also understand that all imprisoned women experience the trauma of incarceration. As a result, advocates, service providers, and others, have created programming for women that is both gender-responsive and trauma-informed. This listing includes resources that give some examples of gender-responsive and trauma-informed programs and curricula for practitioners working with justice-involved women. We include articles that highlight and compare features of some of the emerging models and curricula for groups for women in jails and prisons. Though many of these programs require purchase for licensing, where we could find the curricula or a preview of the curricula online, we included them. Also included are other trauma-related curricula that have been implemented in women’s prisons and/or jails that are not necessarily specifically gender-responsive or trauma-informed, but which we thought could be relevant and helpful to someone interested in starting a group in jail or prison.