COMPARISON OF THE LIFE EXPERIENCES AND PERSONAL FUNCTIONING OF MEN AND WOMEN IN PRISON

Although some researchers have studied backgrounds and needs of person s who are incarcerated, few investigators have examined the multiple o ccurrence of these life factors within the same sample and even Fewer have compared the differences between men and women on these variables . The author examined differences between 81 incarcerated men and wome n in the history and severity of substance abuse, family-of-origin Fac tors, previous abuse and neglect, and current Personal Functioning Res ults indicated that although the women consistently had more problems in these areas than did their male counterparts, male respondents also displayed a significant need Tor services Recommendations For relevan t programming for both incarcerated men and women are presented, and t he role of social work in effective service delivery is discussed.