S pringerBriefs in Psychology For further volumes: h ttp://www.springer.com/series/10143 K imberly C ollica F emale Prisoners, AIDS, and Peer Programs H ow Female Offenders Transform Their Lives Kimberly Collica Justice Studies Berkeley College Woodland Park, NJ, USA ISSN 2192-8363 ISSN 2192-8371 (electronic) ISBN 978-1-4614-5109-9 ISBN 978-1-4614-5110-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-5110-5 Springer New York Heidelberg Dordrecht London Library of Congress Control Number: 2012945305 © The Author 2013 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. 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While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) P reface I became very interested in the topic of HIV and women in prison in 1999 when I began working at Taconic Correctional Facility coordinating their HIV prison-based peer program. The inmates had a tremendous interest in the program and we always had a tremendously positive response to every new program initiative. It seemed obvious that program participants were gaining an incredible amount of knowledge from being a part of CARE, but there was very little research on the subject area. To avoid a confl i ct of interest by studying the CARE Program, I decided to focus my study on ACE, which was across the street at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. The results of the fi r st study were quite promising and provided evidence that HIV prison-based peer programs do increase levels of knowledge about HIV/AIDS. As I progressed in my position, I also noticed that these programs had great benefi t s for the peers themselves. The women who worked for ACE/CARE were extremely suc- cessful and very well respected by prison staff and other inmates for their work. Disciplinary infractions decreased substantially for many of the women after they began working in these programs. I noticed increases in self-esteem and levels of confi d ence. I also noticed that when the women were fi n ally eligible for release, they were able to obtain paid positions in the fi e ld of HIV. Most of these women who left never returned to prison, which made me consider the fact that these pro- grams were not just about education, they were about redirection. There is little research on the effects of peer programs on the peers themselves. This factor, in combination with my interest in the success of ACE/CARE peers, led to further study on the issue of HIV programs. T he purpose of this book is to provide an overview of female incarceration and illustrate the benefi t s derived by female inmates who work in an HIV prison-based peer program, while adding to the criminology literature on female patterns of crim- inality and rehabilitation. It will provide a more in-depth understanding of how prison programs affect the processes of criminal desistance and behavioral changes for female inmates. Women involved in such programming have developed strong social bonds and high levels of self-esteem. These factors contributed to reduced levels of recidivism and institutional disciplinary infractions. v vi Preface T his book is framed within the broader perspective of women, HIV, and incar- ceration. Little research has been conducted on less traditional vocational opportu- nities behind bars, like HIV/AIDS peer education programs, particularly if such programs impact rehabilitative outcomes and reintegrative measures for the for- merly incarcerated. These programs have not been given the attention they deserve in the literature. Researchers have discussed the overall benefi t s of HIV program- ming but rarely discuss the benefi c ial effects of such programming on the peers themselves. When benefi t s were cited, most researchers relied on anecdotal evidence. I t is evident that HIV peer programs are able to provide numerous benefi t s to prison offi c ials by affording inmates with increased knowledge, accurate risk per- ceptions, a cost-effective method of providing educational services, etc. However, the effects transcend the benefi t s discussed in a majority of these studies. The pains of imprisonment for women can be improved by revolutionizing the way we view nontraditional programming in prison. A systematic research project has yet to be completed focusing on whether or not there is more to gain than knowledge and behavior change from these programs. In lieu of the limited programming available to female offenders, the evaluation of existing programs should be a foremost con- cern among correctional researchers, advocates, and administrators. This book offers an initial evaluation. Woodland Park, NJ, USA Kimberly Collica A uthor Biography Dr. Kimberly Collica is a Professor of the Justice Studies Department and the Online Chairperson of the School of Professional Studies at Berkeley College. Prior to teaching, she worked for a women’s correctional facility in New York State coordinating an HIV prison- based peer education program. She also worked for the Westchester County Department of Correction supervising their jail-based transi- tional services unit. She has extensive experi- ence working with correctional populations and has over ten years of teaching and training experience in this area. Dr. Collica serves as a TOT (Train the Trainers) for the NYS Department of Health/AIDS Institute and is responsible for training professionals in HIV- related issues in the NYS Metropolitan area. Dr. Collica has a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York, an M.Phil. from the Graduate School and University Center, an MA in Criminal Justice from John Jay College, and a BA in Criminology from John Jay College. Her research focuses on female inmates, rehabilitation, reintegration, and issues surrounding HIV prison-based peer programming. vii A cknowledgements I would like to thank my friend, Joyce Lopez, for encouraging me to submit this book proposal. I would like to thank Sharon Panulla, Executive Editor, Sylvana Ruggirello, and Dr. Larry Sullivan for his comments and wisdom on the initial pro- posal. Editorial Assistant, Dhivya Chandraprathan, Project Manager, and Priyaa H Menon, Production Editor of Springer Science+Business Media, for their hard work and dedication toward the completion of this project. I would like to thank the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, particularly Elaine Humphrey, Program Research Specialist, and Paul Korotkin, Assistant Director of Research, for allowing me to conduct this study. I am tremendously grateful to all of the women of ACE and CARE, present and past, who spoke so openly and honestly with me. I have learned so much about myself and about life by working with them. I praise and admire them for their diligence in fi g hting the AIDS epidemic among women. I would like to thank my grandmother, Antoinette Taylor, my great friends, Carol Mendoza, Lisa Foreman, Karyn Albino, Patricia Chong, David Chong, Eric Grossman, Adam Welsh, Wilford Pinkney, Dr. Fein and Nory Padilla for always being so proud of me. I would also like to thank my two faithful companions: Jenny and Dominic, who were always by my side when I worked. Last, I would like to thank my family: my husband, Thomas Cox, my grandfather, Stanley Taylor, my doctoral twin, Dr. Gennifer Furst, my daughter, Annalise Cox (who was born just as I began writing this book and is my daily dose of joy), my stepsons (Dezmond, Dakota, and Ryan Cox my protector), my sisters (Elizabeth Collica, Katherine Varrin and Donna Collica) my brother and best friend, Anthony Collica, and my mom, Antoinette Varrin. I would especially like to thank my daughter, Antoinette Collica, who has served as my motivation for 19 years and continues to serve as my inspiration. You will always be my heart. I love you. I would like to dedicate this book to my husband, Thomas Cox, who is always in my thoughts and my heart personally and professionally - “Don’t let the name fool you.” ix