Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Criminal Justice

Advisor

Carolyn Dennis

Abstract

Prediction of recidivism and risk has become one of the most important elements of an effective assessment in the U.S. prison system. Assessments conducted in the state of Texas prior to 2014 were not gender specific to female offenders. In 2015, Texas introduced a new risk/assessment tool known as Texas Risk Assessment System (TRAS) to identify and address differences in male and female offenders. The importance of the TRAS is that it helps identify female offenders’ needs, motivations, and factors that contribute to their reoffending. TRAS helps determine who requires higher levels of supervision, treatment, and/or other services. This quantitative study used secondary data and a chi-square test to determine which assessment correctly identified the number of female offenders who recidivated and returned to prison during the years prior to TRAS, 1 year after, and 3 years later. The results found no statistical significance in the first year of its implementation. However, in the 3 years after, the data revealed a statistical significance in identifying female offender recidivism rates. The theoretical framework for the study was feminist legal theory, which helped to explain why females in the correctional setting have not been treated as equally as male offenders. Correcting the assessment of female offenders can help reform policy and sentencing to determine who requires higher levels of supervision, needs of treatment, and/or other services. TRAS can potentially transition personnel out of the system who are low-risk female offenders. Recommendations include implementation of TRAS throughout the criminal justice system in Texas. These findings may contribute to positive social change by improving treatment and services with the outcome of reducing recidivism for female offenders

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