An Intermediate Sanction That Fosters the Mother-Child Bond

Abstract

Summit House is a residential alternative-to-incarceration program in North Carolina that operates in a home-like setting for female offenders and their children; the Program is designated an intermediate sanction. The Program has been recognized by experts in the field as a national model. And, in 1996 and 1998 respectively, it received two national awards-The President's Service Award and The Improvement of Justice Award. Despite national recognition and honor, however, little is known about the process by which the Program assists women in their role as mothers. This paper provides a process evaluation of the Summit House Program. To assess the Program, I reviewed an array of documents (e.g., resident manuals, incident reports, individualized treatment plans) and conducted a total of 44 interviews with administrators, staff, and clients. These individual face-to-face interviews took place in a private setting and averaged an hour in duration. Based on this information, I explain how the Program assists residents in building competency in the relationships they have with their children. The Program's strengths and weaknesses are highlighted and recommendations are offered for improvement.

Key Words:

• Alternative-to-incarceration programs
• female offenders
• process evaluation
• female offenders and their children
• intermediate sanction

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Pauline K. Brennan

Pauline K. Brennan, PhD, is Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Justice, University of Nebraska, Omaha. Her areas of research include court processing, correctional issues, and adult-female offenders. She is author of Women Sentenced to Jail in New York City, published in 2002 by LFB Scholarly Publishing and “Sentencing Female Misdemeanants: An Examination of the Direct and Indirect Effects of Race/ Ethnicity,” published in the March 2006 issue of Justice Quarterly.