RT Article
T1 A gender-responsive treatment facility in correctional services: the development of psychological gymnasium for women offenders
JF International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology
VO 62
IS 4
SP 1062
OP 1079
A1 Mak, Vivian W.M.
A1 Ho, Samuel M.Y.
A1 Kwong, Regina W.Y.
LA English
YR 2018
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1587305550
AB With increasing evidence suggesting a disparity in female and male offenders in terms of rehabilitative needs, growing concern has been placed on the development of gender-specific services for female offenders. As such, a prison-based psychological gymnasium (PSY GYM), with distinctive features in integrating cognitive-behavioral and positive-psychology concepts to address female offenders’ needs, was set up in 2011. The present study aims to introduce the concept as well as present findings to evaluate the overall effectiveness of PSY GYM. Nineteen Chinese female offenders participated in a 6- to 8-month intensive training program at the Lo Wu Correctional Institution (LWCI) of the Hong Kong Correctional Services Department in Hong Kong. Psychometric inventories were used to assess their psychological distress and positive growth following the program. Participants showed significant reduction in their depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, and in their tendency to pay attention to negative information. Furthermore, their sense of hope, gratitude, and tendency to pay attention to positive information had remarkably increased. This indicated the effectiveness of PSY GYM in facilitating successful rehabilitation for female offenders.
K1 PSY GYM
K1 Psychological gymnasium
K1 Rehabilitation
K1 Female offenders
K1 Prison
K1 Cognitive-behavioral therapy
K1 Positive psychology
K1 Psychotherapy
K1 Gefängnis
K1 Täterin
K1 Weibliche Gefangene
K1 Strafvollzug
K1 Sport
K1 Psychologie
DO 10.1177/0306624X16667572