In recent years, there has been a notable increase in the incidence of violent crimes committed by female offenders both nationally and in the State of Massachusetts. Here, at the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Andrea J. Cabral introduced mandatory, gender-specific inmate programming for female inmates and pre-trial detainees. This programming, implemented in 2005, addresses the different issues and barriers to post-release success that confront female ex-offenders.

The following video explores the “rise of the female offender” and discusses the complexities of delivering this unique form of programming through the efforts of teaching and medical staff, caseworkers, mental health professionals, classification staff, and the female inmates and detainees themselves.