Helping Women Recover: Data on the Impact of a Wraparound Intervention for Women Reintegrating after Incarceration

Background and purpose: The number of women incarcerated in the US has risen dramatically over the last 20 years. This increase has made it more important to develop support systems to help such women decarcerate from correctional facilities, with an aim of reducing the likelihood of recidivism. The current study is born of a program evaluation of an intervention designed to support women as they reintegrate into society post incarceration. The program was conducted by a non profit in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Oklahoma was chosen for the study as Oklahoma is a national leader of incarceration of women. The program was called Helping Women Recover (HWR), and consisted of wraparound supports that included mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling, and mentorship from other women who had experienced incarceration. Methods: Using a pre/posttest design, Resonance staff collected surveys, containing established psychometric scales, to test HWR participants (N = 22) on variables known to be linked to reductions in recidivism. The tests included measures of criminal thinking and hope for the future. HWR lasted 24 weeks. Results: The results indicated statistically significant reductions across multiple dimensions of criminal thinking, including reductions in rationalizations of criminal activity (d = 2.9; p < .001) and reductions in conceptions of personal irresponsibility (d = 1.6; p < .001). The results also indicated robust increases in hope for the future (d = -2.7; p < .001). Conclusions and Implications: The results indicated that a wraparound program that includes mentorship from other women who had experienced incarcerations holds promise as a tool to reduce recidivism among sample of women in the process of decarcerating.