NCJ Number
187470
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 63 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2001 Pages: 33-37
Editor(s)
Susan L. Clayton
Date Published
February 2001
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article provides an overview of the Women in Community Service’s Lifeskills Program (WICS) offering the support and programming for women to confront issues that lead to criminal behavior and to make attitudinal and lifestyle changes.
Abstract
Statistics show that female offenders share significant commonalities: low self-esteem, and a nearly non-existent support system. Given the enormous increase of women in prison, programs designed specifically for female inmates are becoming recognized as a necessity. A 1998 National Institute of Justice report acknowledged that many needs of incarcerated women are different from those of men and require management approaches and programming tailored to their special characteristics and situations. Programs for women are more successful when they focus on relationships with other people and offer ways to master their lives while keeping these relationships intact. The Women in Community Service’s Lifeskills Program (WICS) uses a woman-centered learning model designed to both train and support female offenders by promoting self-sufficiency and economic independence. WICS currently operates three programs for female offenders in Portland, Oregon, Memphis, Tennessee, and Dallas, Texas. The program empowers women by encouraging them to reassess their behavior, gain marketable skills, and build self-esteem, as well as provide traditional support. There was a 13 percent lower recidivism rate for WICS Lifeskills graduates compared to other female offenders contributing largely to the successful reintegration to the community that the participants experience. A core part of the WICS Lifeskills program, volunteers donate hundreds of hours serving as workshop facilitators, class presenters and mentors. WICS Lifeskills program’s primary purpose is to help women in prison create visions for their lives and gain the skills to achieve them. References