Empowering Female Offenders to Reach Success in Probation and Parole

Abstract: Responding to the need for gender-specific programs within the criminal justice system, this study evaluates a women’s life skills group that is geared toward education and empowerment for female offenders at the Board of Probation and Parole (BOPP) in a small southeastern city. The researcher evaluated the effectiveness of this group using a single-system model. The desired outcome of the group was to enhance the women’s knowledge in areas such as self-esteem, parenting, domestic violence, job readiness, and health. Findings reveal overall satisfaction of the participants with the life skills group as well as a significant improvement in individual life satisfaction. This study offers promising avenues to empower women to successfully complete their probation or parole time and become better functioning members of society. The rate at which women commit crimes is on the rise (Gowdy, Cain, & Sutton, 2003). In fact, female crime is increasing at a faster rate than that of male offenders