Women's Parenthood and Educational Programs in New Hampshire State Prisons

Since 1970, the female incarcerated population has been steadily rising, implying an increased demand for more female-centric programming in the New Hampshire Correctional Facility for Women.  In this report, we examine the current programming provided by the New Hampshire Department of Corrections (NHDOC) for incarcerated women. Specifically, we will be analyzing the existing parenting and educational programs. We also investigate parenting and educational programs across the nation that have been proven successful in the reduction of recidivism. We chose case studies of these programs in states that are comparable to New Hampshire based on demographic or economic factors and that could potentially be implemented in New Hampshire. These involve live-in nurseries, comprehensive parenthood preparative courses, and extensive college and technical curricula. The case studies examined have each indicated a reduction in female recidivism among participants as compared to non-participants, which in turn can save states a considerable amount of funding in the long term.