Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Considerations to Enhance Implementation of Gender-Responsive Supervision

• In Event: Partnering for Change: Community Engaged Research with Women and the Criminal Legal System

Abstract

The Michigan Department of Corrections has undertaken reform initiatives as part of a greater shift towards rehabilitative models of supervision. These initiatives include mandated training of probation/parole agents to implement a number of evidence-based supervision approaches, including gender-responsive supervision of women clients. Gender-responsive supervision was developed with women’s specific strengths, risks and needs in mind, including those involving trauma-exposure. However, historically punitive features of the criminal legal system present challenges to implementation of rehabilitative supervision approaches such as gender-responsive/trauma-informed supervision. This intersectional qualitative study investigated the experiences of 84 trauma-exposed women and men under probation/parole supervision to identify facilitators and barriers to clients’ disclosure of trauma-related problems to supervising agents. The findings revealed aspects of the agent-client relationship, agent approach and correctional system that influenced execution of rehabilitative supervision practices. The findings shed light on agent successes and inconsistences in supervision practice, agent- and system-level opportunities as next steps to improve implementation of gender-responsive supervision. A key takeaway of this work is the need for research collaborations with community correctional agencies to incorporate implementation science techniques and approaches; to assess successes and inconsistencies in gender-responsive supervision practice and identify opportunities to modify, adapt, and enhance implementation.

Author

• Kayla M. Hoskins, Yale University