Characteristics of women in jail and treatment orientations. A review.

Donahoe et al. (2000) read every paper they could find on women in jail. They pulled out common problems these women share. They also listed the kinds of help that were on offer at the time.

The review is a snapshot from the year 2000. It does not give new data. It maps what was known about drug use, mental health, and trauma among incarcerated women.

Most women behind bars carried more than one problem at once. Drug use, past trauma, and mental-health needs often showed up together.

The paper shows that one-size-fits-all programs miss the mark. Gender-specific services were rare, and staff rarely used ABA tools even though those tools can work.

Donohue (2004) looked at young mothers who both use drugs and neglect their kids. That review and Donahoe et al. (2000) agree: women need skill-building plus family-level help.

Donohue et al. (2009) describe Family Behavior Therapy, an ABA package for drug abuse. Their paper gives a concrete tool that fills the service gap W et al. pointed to.

Moya et al. (2022) widen the lens. Their map of autism and justice issues includes every intercept from arrest to release. It absorbs the 2000 women-in-jail picture into a bigger call for fair, tailored care for any vulnerable group.

If you write programs for jails or prisons, treat women as a separate caseload. Build lessons that handle trauma, drug cues, and parenting skills side by side. Pull ready-made ABA pieces, like Family Behavior Therapy, into your plan. Small changes—gender-only groups, choice of rewards, and trauma-informed language—can raise engagement the first week you try them.