Survey of Women Inmates: A Survey of Lifetime Victimization Experiences Among Women at the New Mexico Women

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Survey of Women Inmates A Survey of Lifetime
Victimization Experiences Among Women at the New
Mexico Womens Correctional Facility, Grants, NM

• Betty Caponera, Ph.D.
• New Mexico Interpersonal
• Violence Data Central Repository

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Overview

• Background on the Survey of Women Inmates
• Demographic and Health History Findings
• Examine the differences in the rates of
  victimization experiences between convicted women
  offenders and women in the general population
• Examine the family of origin household
  dysfunction of convicted women to women and men
  in the general population
• Discuss implications for effective prevention and
  rehabilitation

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ACE Study

• Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACE)
  (CDC-Kaiser Permanente, San Diego, CA)
• A study of the relationship between adverse
  childhood experiences and specific health
  outcomes
• Examined 10 risk factors that contribute to the
  leading causes of morbidity and mortality
  (smoking, severe obesity, physical inactivity,
  depressed mood, suicide attempts, alcoholism/drug
  abuse, parental drug abuse, a high lifetime
  number of sexual partners and a history of having
  a sexually transmitted disease)
• Disease conditions among the leading causes of
  mortality in the US (heart disease, cancer,
  stroke, chronic bronchitis or emphysema,
  diabetes, hepatitis or jaundice, and any skeletal
  fractures). 

Citation - Felitti, V. et al. Relationship of
Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many
of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults The
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, Am J
Prev Med 199814(4), 245-258.
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ACE Study Questions

• The seven categories of adverse childhood
  experiences examined were
•  
• Abuse Categories
• Psychological abuse
• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Household dysfunction Categories
• Substance abuse
• Mental Illness
• Mother/Step-mother treated violently
• Criminal behavior in the household

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ACE Study Questions

• Q While you were growing up during your first 18
  years of life, did a parent or other adult in the
  household
• Psychological
• a. Often or very often swear at, insult, or put
  you down?
• b. Often or very often act in a way that made you
  afraid that you would be physically hurt?
• Physical
• a. Often or very often push, grab, shove, or slap
  you?
• b. Often or very often hit you so hard that you
  had marks or were injured?
• Q While you were growing up during your first 18
  years of life, did an adult or person at least 5
  years older ever
• Sexual
• a. Touch or fondle you in a sexual way?
• b. Have you touch their body in a sexual way?
• c. Attempt oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse
  with you?
• d. Actually have oral, anal, or vaginal
  intercourse with you?

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ACE Study Questions

• Q While you were growing up during your first 18
  years of life
• Substance Abuse
• a. Did you live with anyone who was a problem
  drinker or alcoholic?
• b. Did you live with anyone who used street
  drugs?
• Mental Illness
• a. Was a household member depressed or mentally
  ill?
• b. Did a household member attempt suicide?
•  
• Q While you were growing up during your first 18
  years of life, was your mother or stepmother
• Mother Treated Violently
• a. Sometimes, often, or very often pushed,
  grabbed, slapped or had something thrown at her?
• b. Sometimes, often, or very often kicked,
  bitten, hit with a fist or hit with something
  hard?
• c. Ever repeatedly hit over at least a few
  minutes?
• d. Ever threatened with, or hurt by a knife or
  gun?
• Criminal Behavior in Household
• a . Did a household member go to prison?

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ACE Study

• Findings
• Most patients in the study who were exposed to
  one category of childhood abuse or household
  dysfunction were also exposed to at least one
  other category
• If a person experienced any single category of
  exposure, the probability of exposure to any
  additional category ranged from 65-93 depending
  on the category
•  
• The more categories of exposure the greater the
  prevalence of many risk factors and disease
  conditions

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ACE Study

• Persons who experience these adverse childhood
  experiences adopt coping mechanisms to deal with
  the resulting anxiety, anger and depression from
  these experiences
• The coping behaviors adopted of course, are those
  that offer immediate relief smoking, over
  eating, alcohol or drug abuse, or sexual acting
  out

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Research Questions

• Q. Do women who offend experience sexual or
  physical abuse at significantly greater rates
  than women in the general population?
• Q. Does polyvictimization (experience of more
  than one type of abuse) exist at significantly
  greater rates among women who offend than women
  in the general population?
• Q. Do women who offend experience significantly
  greater rates of household dysfunction
  (measured by a childhood living environment
  characterized by substance abuse, mental illness,
  criminal behavior, and violent treatment of a
  mother or stepmother) than women in the general
  population?
• Q. If exposure to childhood abuse and household
  dysfunction makes one at risk for offending, what
  are the implications for prevention and
  rehabilitation?

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Survey of Women Inmates

• Questions to measure adverse childhood
  experiences were taken from the ACE Study
• Questions to measure other interpersonal violence
  victimization experiences, including
  victimizations in adulthood were taken from the
  National Violence Against Women Study (National
  Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease
  Control Prevention, 1998, NCJ17237)
• Questions to measure criminal histories, current
  offenses and sentences were taken from the Survey
  of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities
  (SISCF), (Bureau of Justice Statistics, National
  Archive of Criminal Justice Data,ICPSR 4572, 2004)

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Survey of Women Inmates

• The survey was conducted over 10 visits to the
  New Mexico Womens Correctional Facility in
  Grants between February 2010 and November 2010
• All incarcerated women with the exception of high
  risk inmates (those highly dangerous in solitary
  confinement or those confined for mental illness)
  were allowed to participate
• All incarcerated women not occupied in work
  assignments during the morning or afternoon times
  of the day during which the survey was conducted,
  were escorted to a designated room where the
  survey would be conducted and asked to participate

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Survey of Women Inmates

• Participation was voluntary
• Those that did not wish to participate were
  escorted back to their prior or preferred
  authorized destinations
• Over the months of the survey, there was an
  average 513 women incarcerated at the facility.
  Those eligible to participate because of the
  absence of the aforementioned disqualifications
  numbered 236
• Twenty six women chose not to participate
• A total of 210 women completed the survey

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Women Inmate Demographics

• Median age 36 years

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Women Inmate Demographics

• US Census, 2010

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Women Inmate Demographics

• Most women (60) were married once, but the
  proportion of those no longer married (38) is
  similar to those never married (40)

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Women Inmate Demographics

• Approximately half (51 or 106) of the women did
  not graduate from high school. The median grade
  completed 11th approximately half (49 or 101)
  graduated high school or went to college or
  graduate school 21 (43) graduated high school
  28 (58) went to college or graduate school.

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Women Inmate Demographics

• 92 of women inmates have children, including
  step or adopted children
• Median/mean number of children 3
• Median age when having their first child is 19
  years old

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Women Inmate Demographics

• Two thirds 134 (64) of women inmates worked in
  the 12 months before their incarceration.
• One-third (44) of the women that worked, had
  multiple jobs at the same time. Of these, 37 were
  full-time workers.

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Women Inmate Demographics

• Of 207 women respondents, 36 (74) received
  income from illegal sources in the month before
  their incarceration.
• Median income per month from all sources of
  income 1,000

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Health History

• One-fifth (43 or 20) reported having a physical
  disability (disabling injury) compared to 7 of
  respondents with disabling injury in the general
  population as reported in the SVV
• 58 (25 of 43) of those with a physical
  disability reported that it was the result of a
  violent attack
• 88 (38 of 43) reported their disabling injury
  interfered with their normal activities

Survey of Violence Victimization in New Mexico,
2005
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Health History

• 69 (145) of the women experienced two or more
  weeks of depressed mood in the past year
• One third (32 or 68) reported that they
  attempted suicide
• 75 of those that attempted suicide had more than
  one attempt

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Health History

• Mean 3.7 times Median 2 times

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Health History

• 95 (200) reported that they drank alcohol
  median age first time 13 years however most
  started at 12 years
• 78 (155) of those that drank, did so in the 12
  months before their incarceration
• 33.5 (67) considered themselves an alcoholic
• 20.5 (41) were told by their doctor or other
  practitioner that they were an alcoholic

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Health History

• 87 (183) reported having used illegal drugs
  median age was 15, however most started at age 13
• 81 (148) of those that use illegal drugs did so
  in the 12 months before their incarceration
• 96 (202) of the 210 women reported having sexual
  intercourse. The median age the first time they
  willingly engaged in intercourse is 15.5 years,
  however the first age for most was 14 years.
• 21 (43) of the women that engage in sexual
  intercourse reported having 50 or more partners

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Health History

• Of the 210 women, 53 (111) reported being
  homeless, living in the street or a shelter at
  some point in their lives
• 37 were homeless, living in the street or in a
  shelter in the 12 months prior to their
  incarceration
• 73 (154) of women spent some time in prison,
  jail or other correctional facility at some point
  in the 12 months before their current
  incarceration

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Lifetime Victimization Sexual Assault

• National Violence Against Women Study

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Lifetime Victimization Sexual Assault

• National Violence Against Women Study

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Lifetime Victimization Sexual Assault

• National Violence Against Women Study

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Lifetime Victimization Sexual Assault

• National Womens Study

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Lifetime Victimization Sexual Assault
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Lifetime Victimization Physical Assault
National Violence Against Women Study
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Childhood Abuse Experiences
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Childhood Abuse Experiences

• Of the 210 women inmates
• 44 (93) reported experiences of psychological
  and physical abuse
• 38 (80) reported experiences of psychological
  and sexual abuse
• 35 (73) reported experiences of physical and
  sexual abuse
• 33 (69) reported all three (psychological,
  physical and sexual abuse)

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Household Dysfunction
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Polyvictimization
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Polyvictimization

• 77 women inmates compared to 30.5 ACE
  population experienced multiple categories of
  adverse childhood experiences
• ACE found that those with 4 or more categories of
  exposure had a 4 to 12-fold increase risk for
  alcoholism, drug abuse, depression and suicide
  attempts and a 2 to 4-fold increase for having
  intercourse with 50 or more sexual partners and
  contracting sexually transmitted diseases

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Health Risk Factors

• Only 140 women inmates (sexual assault victims)
  were asked this question

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Childhood Psychological Abuse
39
Childhood Physical Abuse
40
Childhood Sexual Abuse
41
Household Substance Abuse
42
Household Mental Illness
43
Household Criminal Behavior
44
Mothers Violent Treatment
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Conclusions

• Q Do women who offend experience sexual and
  physical abuse at significantly greater rates
  than women in the general population?
• Rape victims among women inmates is 3 (3.2) times
  that of women in the NM general population, and 6
  (5.6) times that of women nationally
• Nearly twice (41) as many women inmates that
  were raped experienced their rape by age 12,
  compared to women that reported being raped by
  age 12 nationally (22)
• Women inmates were twice as likely to experience
  multiple rapes (81) than women nationally (39)
  51 of women inmates victims reported 4 or more
  rapes.
• 89 of women inmates reported being a victim of
  physical assault at some time in their lives,
  compared to 52 of women nationally (NVAWS)

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Conclusions

• Q Does polyvictimization (experience of more
  than one type of abuse) exist at significantly
  greater rates among women who offend than women
  in the general population?
• The SVV demonstrated that at some time in their
  life, 45 of NM women were physically attacked,
  24 of women were sexually assaulted, and 21 of
  women were both physically attacked and sexually
  assaulted
• The Survey of Women Inmates found that at some
  time in their life, 89 of women inmates were
  physically attacked, 70 were sexually assaulted,
  and 64 of women were both physically attacked
  and sexually assaulted
• 77 of women inmates compared to 30.5 of women
  and men in the general population were exposed to
  multiple categories of adverse childhood
  experiences
• Women inmates were six times more likely than men
  and women in the general population to experience
  4 adverse childhood experiences

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Conclusions

• Q Do women who offend experience significantly
  greater rates of household dysfunction
  (measured by a childhood living environment
  characterized by substance abuse, mental illness,
  criminal behavior, and violent treatment of a
  mother or stepmother) than men and women in the
  general population?
• Women inmates were
• Almost 3 times more likely to grow up with
  someone who was a problem drinker/alcoholic
• Almost 5 times more likely to grow up with
  someone that used street drugs
• Almost 3 times more likely to grow up with
  someone that was depressed or mentally ill
• 4.5 times more likely to have a household member
  attempt suicide
• Almost 4 times more likely to have a mother or
  step-mother that was treated violently
• Almost 8 times more likely to have a household
  member go to prison

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Conclusions

• Prevalence of high risk behavior is significantly
  greater among women inmates than the general
  population
• Women inmates are
• 3 times more likely to experience depressed mood
  in the past year
• 9 times more likely to ever attempt suicide
• 6 times (5.5) more likely to consider herself an
  alcoholic
• 3 times (2.8) more likely to ever use elicit
  drugs
• 3 times more likely to have 50 or more sexual
  intercourse partners
• 3 times more likely to contract a sexually
  transmitted disease

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Implications for Prevention Efforts

• National Survey of Childrens Exposure to
  Violence (Finkelhor, et al, 2009)
• Measures exposure across several major
  categories, including conventional crime, child
  maltreatment, victimization by peers and
  siblings, sexual victimization, witnessing and
  indirect victimization (including exposure to
  community violence and family violence, school
  violence and threats, and internet victimization
  sexual harassment and solicitation)

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NaSCEV Recommendations

• Those who work with children must assess for a
  broader range of victimizations
• Give priority for polyvictims
• Professionals who work with children need to pay
  particular attention to polyvictims because of
  their vulnerability to mental health, behavior,
  school performance and other problems
• Identify these children in schools, in social
  welfare and mental health caseloads, in foster
  care and juvenile justice systems
• Do not minimize their victimization histories by
  focusing on one type of problem (sexual abuse, or
  bullying, etc.)
• Give particular attention to bully-victims
  (victims of violence who also bully others) and
  sexual assault victims as studies have shown the
  worst outcomes for these children who are more
  likely than others to have multiple victimizations

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NaSCEV Recommendations

• Professionals must develop new interventions to
  encompass multiple victimizations that involve a
  team of professionals to collaborate in the
  treatment strategies of each polyvictim child
• Assess for environmental conditions that
  perpetuate victimization and develop strategies
  to address them e.g. teaching parenting and
  guardianship skills to parents and other adult
  caregivers
• Interrupt the onset of the pathway to
  victimization there are many early warning
  indicators for future polyvictimization for
  children living in dangerous families and
  neighborhoods, and children with emotional
  problems. Professionals must help build the
  supervision and protection capacities of family
  members, guardians, caregivers, teachers, and
  other adults who may be in a position to
  intervene to help children and stop the
  progression toward polyvictimization.

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Implications for Rehabilitation

• What is clear about the rehab experience for
  women offenders is that effective rehab is really
  synonymous with personal recovery from life
  victimization experiences. But most of these
  women have children and are responsible for
  supporting these children, so they must be
  offered recovery treatments, as well as family
  supports and waiting until after the women are
  released is ineffective.
• Access to viable substance abuse programs
• Access to parenting education/skills development
• Access to mental health treatment
• Access to sexual assault counseling
• Access to family counseling
• Access to educational classes to get their high
  school equivalency degree
• Access to skills development classes focused on
  training for specific employment that allows the
  women to support their families

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Contact Information

• New Mexico Interpersonal Violence Data Central
  Repository
• Director Betty Caponera, Ph.D.
• [phone] office
• [phone] toll-free
• www.nmcsap.org