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Incarceration -- State League Study 2009-2012
The League of Women Voters NH began our study of the issues facing women incarcerated in NH in 2009. We visited the county houses of correction, the women’s prison in Goffstown, the women’s “halfway house” at Shea Farm, drug courts. We had interviews with state and county corrections officials and with inmates, presentations by court officials and others involved in alternative sentencing including several visits to the Grafton county drug court, parole and probation state officials, and extensive reading of current publications about women offenders, both in NH and throughout the country.
Along with several other organizations we fought the proposal for a privatized women’s prison and won, then advocated for a new prison with improved education and rehabilitative services on a par with those at the men’s prisons in NH.
Finally the new New Hampshire Correctional Facility for Women is open in Concord. The women moved in on April 17, 2018. The old Goffstown facility was turned back to Hillsborough county and has been dismantled.
LWVNH position on incarceration:
LWVNH position adopted April 2012
This position was reached by member consensus, based on our extensive 3-year study of the impact of women incarcerated in NH. The study included visits to the county houses of correction, the women’s prison and halfway house, From this position the League is advocating for improvements in the treatment of women offenders, with a goal of reduced recidivism and improved futures for the women and society.
Report of the NH Advisory Committee to the US Civil Rights Commission on the Unequal Treatment of women offenders in NH prison (October 2011) (this report came out during our study; League testified during the Committee’s hearings.)
Updates:
Jun 04, 2018 Report by Citizens Count NH
According to a new report from the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit that advocates for criminal justice reform. New Hampshire has the fourth lowest rate of incarceration in the U.S.
In 2017 New Hampshire had 199 people incarcerated per 100,000 state residents. That was a 5% decrease from last year, and a 9% decrease compared to ten years ago.
There are several reasons for a falling prison population. For one, there has been a movement to increase alternatives to incarceration for some offenders. For example, New Hampshire drug courts allow drug offenders to complete treatment rather than go to prison.
New Hampshire also has a lower crime rate than it did a decade ago, according to data from the FBI.
Massachusetts had the lowest incarceration rate in the U.S. in 2017, at 134 per 100,000. Maine came in 2nd, Rhode Island 11th, Vermont 12th, and Connecticut 25th. Louisiana came in last place, with the high incarceration rate of 720 people per 100,000 state residents.
May 2018:
The NH Women’s Foundation has released an updated study of women incarcerated in NH. The report is 11 pages, can be found at this website:
The NH Business Review in May 2018 published some highlights of the study with a report on the opening of the new women’s correctional facility in Concord. Read the article here:
February 2018: This report prepared by the NH Women’s Foundation updates the research on women incarcerated in NH. It is titled “NH’s Incarcerated Women: 2018 Snapshot.” Click here for the pdf.
National study: Updated statistics about women incarcerated in the US includes details about the number of women incarcerated in smaller counties (such as most of those in NH), which have “increased 31-fold from 1970 to 2014.” One reason may be that larger cities have more resources for care for poor residents struggling with mental health issues. Washington Post: August 18, 2016
Changes in NH since our study began:
In addition to a new women’s correctional facility, several of the old and very crowded county houses of correction have been replaced by new buildings with expanded programming, and others have been expanded.
Drug courts now exist in 9 of the 10 counties, and mental health courts also are growing in the counties.
Several counties are following the communities corrections model begun in Sullivan County during our study, which is a positive development.
Recidivism rates spiked at one point, have leveled off.
Programs at the women’s prison are not yet where we would like them in terms of preparing women for life after serving their felony sentences, but progress is being made. Big problem now is shortage of correctional staff and treatment staff, as more and more felonies are related to substance use disorder.
Shea Farm is no longer overcrowded since the NHCFW has been opened, which allows for more opportunities of the C1 inmates there. Unfortunately it is still an aged building away from the job opportunities and public transportation the women need to renew their job skills and employment records.
The League study leaders have offered talks and courses to inform the public about the issues facing women offenders in our state. As a result, more people understand that what the corrections system does affects all us, not just those incarcerated.
Incarceration information program offered:
If your community or church group would like to learn more about the issues facing women offenders in NH, including what the public can do to improve the prospects for the future, study leaders will happily bring a presentation to you.
Contact Liz Tentarelli via the Contact Us page of this website to arrange for a presentation.
The League of Women Voters of New Hampshire is a 501(c)4 organization
League of Women Voters of New Hampshire
4 Park Street Room 200, Concord NH 03301 (603) 225-5344