Men & Women Inmates Are Not The Same!

We addressed the issue involving male and women offender treatments. Many people argued it should be equal or else it is unfair. “What about equality for all!” The thing is as much as we try to be seen as equals, there is still some bias factor that holds us back while trying looking at everyone the same. In reference to criminal treatments, how can we hold both genders accountable to the same treatment if their brains are wired differently? Yes you can argue there can be similar situations in the workplace, but then again, women and male officers handle situations completely differently but still manage to get the task done. It does not matter how it is done, as long as protocols are followed and no boundaries are crossed. We all are more effective when we find a way that works best for us as individuals.

I argued that women offenders are very emotional beings in comparison to their male counterparts and tend to be better situation thinkers due to high levels of interconnections with the hypothalamus. This lead me to believe a treatment program where females could remain in contact with outside family would help the recovery progress and lower distress levels even if it’s only for a short frame of time. Some people believe this could become a bad idea as males will want to partake in such a program as well. In my opinion, the women’s brain is capable of handling this task and demonstrating results. If we implemented a program as such, I would bet results would be more beneficial for females because males tend to be more of an aggressor and don’t tap into that emotional side as frequently as the opposite sex. For the male counterpart, it would be more of a reward than a treatment method. Yes this can make things more difficult for correction personnel, but perhaps the improvement in women offenders is worth the risks. For those individuals who have committed more serious heinous acts, we need to be able to evaluate their ability to partake in such a program and may involve further psychological testing. The key will be to look at risk assessment before we develop any treatment program.

Men and women prison typically function differently however there are an estimated thirty percent that do not feature programs that are conducive to women (Umar 2016). To be able to develop such a model, we need to learn more about the women and men’s brain in order to give an accurate assessment and guideline to develop a successful treatment. This may not be the answer to dealing with mental illnesses in a corrections setting, however just like all the theoretical perspectives, this could be one piece to the puzzle tapping into the biological side of the brain. This will involve biologist, forensic psychologist and criminalist getting together and collaborating to create the best efforts for offenders to hopefully offer great success in the long run. Perhaps these studies will also enhance our understanding of what brain functions contribute to the act of committing illegitimate acts.

References:

Umar, E. (2016.). Men’s Prisons vs Women’s Prisons. http://correctional-medical-care.com/mens-prisons-vs-womens-prisons/