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CLEAR Temp: 50 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, November 21, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend October 7, 2002 Joann Brand, jailed on drunken driving charges, sits in her part of a cell that houses several women. She says she supports the county�s efforts to get female convicts to talk about the problems that lead them to crime. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Related story: � A typical question for just-released female convicts: What now? New program aims to help women convicts talk out their problems By JILL BRISKEY Mail Tribune Whiling away the hours inside a cramped Jackson County Jail cell won’t convince most female inmates that a lifestyle change is in order, said Gold Hill resident Joann Lee Brand. "We need more than this, just sitting here and having nothing. You have nothing positive," said Brand, jailed for drunken driving. "We need to get something going for us. It’s a revolving door, and there’s nothing waiting for us when we get out." Proposals to build a women’s work camp and halfway house in Jackson County will take years before becoming reality, but a unique pilot project targeting medium- and high-risk female offenders begins this week, according to officials. The voluntary Women’s Issues Group is designed to curb recidivism rates by encouraging women to talk about personal issues that contribute to their criminal lifestyle. The program is similar to the county’s highly successful cognitive restructuring classes, in which offenders are taught to examine their thinking patterns and learn the difference between right and wrong. Women attending the three-hour-a-week Women’s Issues Group sessions over six to nine months will be asked to discuss personal topics, including sexuality, relationships and childhood trauma. The program is the brainchild of senior deputy parole and probation officers Barbara Northrop and Jarren Atkinson, county employees who share a 100-woman caseload. Both women have rearranged their caseloads recently, along with work schedules, to teach the program. As parole and probation officers, Atkinson and Northrop ensure offenders meet the terms of their sentences, such as enrolling in drug abuse counseling or paying court fines, and they also help convicts find services they need in the community. But their duties will take on a new dimension as they encourage women to open up and share their feelings. The two have laid in a big supply of Kleenex in anticipation. "We don’t know if it’s going to make an impact, but we want to see if it can," said Northrop. "This is a celebration of them. We’re real excited about it," Atkinson said. "Some of these women are hurting big time, and we want to see them open up and deal with that." The program is part of a countywide movement to better meet the needs of female offenders, according to Community Justice Deputy Director Abe Huntley. No additional staff was hired for the program. Costs for classroom supplies are expected to be minimal, he said. Although men often face many of the same issues as women, the class is designed for women only to create a safe environment, Northrop said. Women are often afraid to speak about personal issues in front of men, she said, often with good reason. A woman isn’t likely to relive the trauma of rape if her attacker’s brother is sitting in the same room. The scenario would be possible if men also attended the sessions because many offenders are drug abusers who run in the same social circles, she said. "It’s a dog-eat-dog culture. The men and women know each other. It’s their social group," Northrop said. "A co-gender environment is not a safe place to open up those wounds." The project’s goal is to help women address issues contributing to their lifestyle, readjust thinking patterns and break cycles, Atkinson said. "They’re role-modeling for their children," Atkinson said of women offenders. "(Their children) are the next on our caseloads." The program appeals to at least one local woman, a single mother of three children working to overcome a methamphetamine addiction. She’s unemployed and calls herself an "emotional wreck." "Maybe it will help. I don’t know, but it’s worth a try," said the woman, who asked that her name not be used. The single mother is on probation for drug possession and theft convictions. "My kids have been through enough, and I don’t want to lose them," the woman said. "I’m going to make it this time." As for Brand, she said she’s also supportive of the new group as well as other county programs that counsel criminals. "We need to take a good look at our areas of thinking and what causes us (to commit crimes)," she said. "I do believe in those groups. I think they work." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S