Home Visits with Women Parolees: An Examination of the Spheres of Life and Social Support Networks

• In Event: Just and Effective Correctional Responses to Women Offenders

Abstract

Little research has examined the influence of relationships between parole officers and women on parole supervision. Green et al. (2013) found that relationships characterized by trust and openness resulted in women parolees, compared to men parolees, engaging in less risky sexual behavior. Morash et al. (2015) examined the effect of relationship style of the parole/probation officer on women’s anxiety, rejection of direction, and crime avoidance and found that more supportive behaviors resulted in more positive outcomes. The current research analyzes the thematic content and social support networks reported in the case notes of parole officers for the population of offenders released to parole supervision in the calendar years of 2008, 2010, and 2012. The researchers compare the gender differences in the spheres of life discussed and the social support networks contacted by parole officers recorded in the case notes. Such analyses sheds light on the differential nature of supervision experienced by men compared to women.

Authors

• Mary A. Finn, Michigan State University

• Kaitlyn Rachelle Rines, Michigan State University