Surviving Incarceration: Two Prison-Based Peer Programs Build Communities of Support for Female Offenders

Both men and women adopt various roles in the inmate subculture to survive the pains of imprisonment. It is assumed that one reason females feel the pains of imprisonment more harshly than males is because of the difficulty in being separated from their family and children. To ameliorate the pains of separation, female inmates re-create their lost family in prison. Recent works have found that the nature of America's female prison "pseudo family" may be evolving, and correspondingly, diminishing in importance. Since one's associates in prison can affect institutional adjustment, being associated with a supportive social network can prevent periods of maladjustment. This exploratory study, based on the narratives of 49 female offenders, examined the effects of two HIV prison-based peer programs on inmate peers in New York State and its unique ability to help these female offenders cope with the pains of incarceration. The author found that such programs provided leadership, support, and guidance for female offenders, and not only created a prosocial environment, but fashioned an entire community. This community continued outside of the prison walls, provided women with emotional support, and subsequently resulted in increased levels of institutional and post-release success. The use of prison-based peer programs creates a positive, conventionally oriented alternative to the traditional female pseudo family and poses significant implications for rehabilitation and reentry initiatives. The author thanks the New York State Department of Correctional Services, particularly Elaine Humphrey and Paul Korotkin from the Division of Program Planning, Research and Evaluation. Extreme appreciation is extended to all the women of ACE/CARE, past and present, who participated in this study. A special thanks to Dr. Gennifer Furst and Dr. Larry Sullivan for reading an earlier version of this article. Additional informationNotes on contributorsKimberly Collica KIMBERLY COLLICA is a Justice Studies Professor with Berkeley College and the former supervisor of the Transitional Services Unit at the Westchester County Department of Correction in New York. Dr. Collica worked in a women's correctional facility in New York State coordinating an HIV prison-based peer education program for over five years. She has extensive experience working with correctional populations and has over ten years of teaching, training, and consulting experience in this area. Dr. Collica has a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the Graduate School and University Center, a M.Phil from the Graduate School and University Center, a MA in Criminal Justice from John Jay College, and a BA in Criminology from John Jay College. Her research has focused on female inmates, rehabilitation, reintegration, and issues surrounding HIV prison-based peer programming.