Women, Prison and Cognition in Washington State

In Washington State, there is a need to develop gender-responsive reentry and rehabilitation correctional programs due to differences in reentry and healing programs for men and women. For example, women have more factors hindering social support. Washington State incarcerates, on average, 796-800 women per day in its two women\u27s state prisons - Washington State Correction Center for Women (WSCCW) and Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women (MCCCW). There is an incomplete restorative improvement program for women in WSCCW and MCCCW. Moreover, the two Washington women\u27s prison rehabilitative models of personal responsibility are stifled by gaps in programming and research. The research focuses on the effects of personal responsibility programs, such as prison writing programs, on past and future crime paths, beliefs, and behavior. Women incarcerated in Washington State may benefit from psychological activities or practices that emphasize understanding through thought and experience early in life or before incarceration. Therefore, the researchers conducted a qualitative exploratory approach using a constructivist paradigm by conducting qualitative interviews. The investigators explored pre and post reasoning to crime pathways and experiences, beliefs, thoughts, and ideas related to cognitive-based programming at WSCCW and MCCCW. When considering the research findings, this study proposes using and developing the gender-based holistic cognitive model for incarcerated women and post-incarceration. ReSOURCE 2022 award winner