The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department houses women at the House of Correction from Suffolk as well as other neighboring counties. The mission of the Women’s Program Services Division is to ensure those housed are done so in a safe, orderly and secure manner that promotes public safety, yet acknowledges women’s developmental, experiential, cultural, and physical realities. By assessing individuals’ strengths, we seek to create an opportunity for personal growth in an environment that promotes education, gender responsive and trauma informed programs, as well as a greater connection to families and community resources. We strive to empower the women by providing them the resources to discover and restore their self–worth and dignity, while promoting accountability.
Within the first hours of their incarceration, each individual will receive a community resource guide that contains a list of services and programs available to them throughout the Commonwealth that they can utilize upon their release. This guide provides even the shortest–term person with information that can assist them in obtaining needed behavioral and physical health services, substance use treatment as well as social services, employment and educational resources.
Within 24 hours of booking, each person is assigned a caseworker and given information about the comprehensive services available through Women’s Programming. Staff will meet with each individual to discuss gender specific, trauma informed educational and vocational programming, along with substance use, behavioral health and medical services designed to provide them with the best possible opportunity at success outside while lessening the chances that they will recidivate. Addressing needs that have been identified as specific to the female population, recovery, reentry and life skills, intimate partner violence, and anger management, to name a few, are targeted as areas of our programming focus.
