Abstract
Young women in custody are among the most marginalized, disempowered groups in our society (Alder & Hunter, 1999). The lack of attention afforded them by the general population is reflected in the lack of psychological research regarding their experiences and beliefs. While there is much anecdotal evidence related to women in custody and their experience of support and community in the custodial setting, there has been a paucity of systematic research. Anecdotal evidence and observations in Harris Correctional Facilityi demonstrate that strong attachments that many young women appeared to develop while at Harris. These observations suggested that there might be a relationship between the residents’ sense of community while in Harris, their ability to successfully reintegrate into the general community, and their rates of recidivism. These factors appeared to be further complicated by a lack of sense of community in the external environment, loneliness, and histories of abuse, trauma and instability.
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Redman, T., Fisher, A.T. (2002). Sense of Community of Young Women in Custody. In: Fisher, A.T., Sonn, C.C., Bishop, B.J. (eds) Psychological Sense of Community. The Plenum Series in Social/Clinical Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0719-2_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0719-2_5
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