Providing Educational Support for Female Ex-Inmates: Project PROVE as a Model for Social Reintegration.

Abstract

The number of female prisoners continues to grow in the United States, yet most examinations of how to increase reintegration and reduce recidivation focus on the needs of the predominantly male prisoner population. As a result, prison education programs and post-release environments often leave women unprepared and facing special risks. This study reviews the experience of one post-release program, Project PROVE, which focuses on the needs and special circumstances of female ex-inmates, how those circumstances may be bafflers to successful reintegration and continued education, and reviews what is needed to promote employment as a critical factor for successful reintegration post release. These include family concerns, parenting issues and employment discrimination as well as more personal barriers such as illness and substance use Successful social integration is further exacerbated by limited agency funding sources in a social environment that is increasingly unsympathetic to the needs of the post-prison population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]