Impact of Sexual Education on the Contraceptive Behaviors of Female Offenders
Date
8-12-2020 9:30 AM
Abstract
The criminal justice systems’ reach into the lives of women has been constantly expanding and has led it to play an increasing role in family planning decisions. Including the increased use of LARC’s (longacting reversible methods of contraception) and sterilization among women who come into contact with the criminal justice system. The women are more likely to be a part of one or more marginalized communities and have an elevated risk for pregnancy and STDS. However, many of them do not use contraceptive methods consistently. For my research, I will be utilizing interviews as my method to determine how women with contact with the criminal justice system gain knowledge about sexual education and the ways in which this knowledge influences their current contraceptive behavior(s)? This research is essential because, despite the increase in the incarceration of women, most of the research, facilities, and programs for criminal offenders in the United States focus on and are designed to serve only the needs of adult male offenders. The knowledge and experiences of women are not deemed as important as that of men’s and this negatively impacts women during and after their incarceration. This research will perhaps speak to this injustice.
Biographies
Francesca Weckmann
Major: Sociology and Spanish
Franchesca Weckmann is double majoring in Sociology and Spanish. She was one of the founding members of the Sociology Club at Portland State University and is the club facilitator and a McNair Scholar. She interned with the Sociology Department and was charged with revitalizing the Sociology Club on campus. She also previously worked as a Supplemental Instructor and as a Student Support Services tutor for anthropology and sociology courses at Southwestern Oregon Community College. She has various research interests including access to reproductive healthcare with a focus on Latinx women with criminal justice system contact. She believes that through further research, the knowledge and experiences of women during and after their incarceration will be acknowledged and valued. She will begin pursuing her MA in Sociology during the Fall of 2021, and she plans to complete a PhD in the future, and to continue asking questions about Latinx women’s access to reproductive healthcare.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Melissa Thompson
Melissa Thompson is a Professor of Sociology at PSU. Her research examines the intersections of the mental health and criminal justice systems, and how race and gender impact these intersections. Professor Thompson’s current work focuses on understanding how the criminal justice system affects women’s access to desired contraception and reproductive justice. She is also working on completing a book—under contract with Routledge—titled Motherhood after Incarceration. This book investigates how separation from their children affects mothers’ relationships with their children as they reenter society after jail or prison sentences.
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences | Social and Behavioral Sciences
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Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/33524
Impact of Sexual Education on the Contraceptive Behaviors of Female Offenders
The criminal justice systems’ reach into the lives of women has been constantly expanding and has led it to play an increasing role in family planning decisions. Including the increased use of LARC’s (longacting reversible methods of contraception) and sterilization among women who come into contact with the criminal justice system. The women are more likely to be a part of one or more marginalized communities and have an elevated risk for pregnancy and STDS. However, many of them do not use contraceptive methods consistently. For my research, I will be utilizing interviews as my method to determine how women with contact with the criminal justice system gain knowledge about sexual education and the ways in which this knowledge influences their current contraceptive behavior(s)? This research is essential because, despite the increase in the incarceration of women, most of the research, facilities, and programs for criminal offenders in the United States focus on and are designed to serve only the needs of adult male offenders. The knowledge and experiences of women are not deemed as important as that of men’s and this negatively impacts women during and after their incarceration. This research will perhaps speak to this injustice.