Empowering Women Engaged with Community Corrections to Enhance Outcomes

Melissa Bartels; Nadine McKillop; Andrew Allen

doi:10.1080/23774657.2025.2578480

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Empowering Women Engaged with Community Corrections to Enhance Outcomes

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Empowering Women Engaged with Community Corrections to Enhance Outcomes

Melissa Bartels, Nadine McKillop and Andrew Allen

Corrections, Vol.Advanced access

31-Oct-2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23774657.2025.2578480

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Abstract

Correctional theory, offender treatment and rehabilitation

Rehabilitation and correctional services

community corrections

female offenders

empowerment

barriers

facilitators

sentencing outcomes

Using reflexive thematic analysis, this qualitative study explored factors perceived to foster or impede order completion, drawing on the lived experiences of women sentenced under community corrections and their Case Managers. Fifteen female clients and twelve Case Managers participated in semi-structured interviews. Combined, findings highlight shared awareness of personal (e.g. self-efficacy), social (e.g. positive supports), and system (e.g. resources) conditions required to harness optimal internal motivation and resilience among female corrections clients to enable positive change. Mental health co-morbidity and the complex interplay of past and current traumas reinforce the need for trauma-informed and strength-based approaches to empower women and optimize their chances of success.

Details

Title: Empowering Women Engaged with Community Corrections to Enhance Outcomes
Authors: Melissa Bartels (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
Nadine McKillop (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sexual Violence Research and Prevention Unit
Andrew Allen (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Psychology
Publication details: Corrections, Vol.Advanced access
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Inc.
DOI: 10.1080/23774657.2025.2578480
ISSN: 2377-4665; 2377-4657
Copyright note: © 2025 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Organisation Unit: School of Law and Society; Sexual Violence Research and Prevention Unit
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991175945902621
Output Type: Journal article

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