NH DOC - NH Dept of Corrections Names New Administrator for Female Offender Programs

(Concord, NH)  New Hampshire Department of Corrections Commissioner William L. Wrenn announces that a new Administrator for Women Offenders and Family Services has been appointed.  Barbara R. Bowlus, the former DOC Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Program Administrator, has been selected for the position. 

In 2006, the position was established to serve as a statewide policy advisor on issues concerning women offenders. The Administrator will provide technical assistance, plan and evaluate gender specific programming, directly supervise and manage the delivery of program services to women offenders in NHDOC facilities, and develop the resources needed to achieve the best possible outcomes for women and families.

Administrator Bowlus has worked for the Department since September 2010 in her capacity as PREA Administrator. Prior to coming to DOC Administrator Bowlus was a psychologist in private practice for twenty years.

“New Hampshire’s female prison population continues to face challenges and it is important to provide them with appropriate and ample opportunities to better succeed in the community.  Barbara’s well-rounded experience with PREA and her understanding of the issues surrounding sexual abuse and substance abuse for women will be vital in helping to meet the needs of these offenders,” Commissioner Wrenn said.

Approximately 160 women are serving prison sentences in the State of New Hampshire.

NHDP - NHGOP Continues Attacks on Women's Health Care

Concord, NH - House Republicans voted to make further cuts to health care services for New Hampshire women last week.  The House Commerce Committee passed HB309 [Bill Text] which will allow insurance providers to refuse to cover midwife services.  Midwives can often be the most accessible safe way for many women in New Hampshire to give birth.

"HB309 will cut access to affordable health care for women and limit individual control over how women choose to give birth to their children," said Harrell Kirstein, press secretary for the New Hampshire Democratic Party.  "This bill isn't about cutting costs.  It is part of a reckless agenda aimed at cutting access to affordable health care for New Hampshire women and killing New Hampshire jobs."

Earlier this year state Republicans eliminated preventative health care services from thousands of New Hampshire women through their efforts to defund Planned Parenthood.  HB309 would force nearly two dozen birthing facilities and midwives in the Granite State out of business.

HB309 was voted out of the Commerce Committee and will now head to the full House for a vote. [gencourt.state.nh.us] New Hampshire was the 9^th state in the nation to legalize and license midwifery and requires significant training, experience, and testing to become a certified midwife. [nh.gov]

"From the job killing budget to relentless attacks on health care for women, the reckless Republican agenda has been an unmitigated disaster this year," added Kirstein.  "That is why for the third straight time, polls have shown that voters view the Republican legislature as one of the top three problems facing the state."

NH DHHS - October Is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Free Screenings Offered in New Hampshire to Eligible Women

Concord, NH – National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual campaign

organized by major breast cancer charities and other organizations to

increase awareness and to stress the importance of early detection. The Let

No Woman Be Overlooked Program at the New Hampshire Department of Health

and Human Services (DHHS) provides free breast and cervical cancer

screenings to women who meet recommended screening guidelines, live in New

Hampshire, are between the ages of 18 and 64, are uninsured or

underinsured, and have a limited income. The Let No Woman Be Overlooked

Program would like to remind all women that October is a great time to

schedule a mammogram. Since beginning screening services in 1997, the Let

No Woman Be Overlooked Program has enrolled more than 22,000 women.


“The earlier breast cancer is found, the easier the course of treatment and

more likely women are to have a good outcome,” said Dr. José Montero,

Director of Public Health at the New Hampshire Department of Health and

Human Services. “Women should talk with their health care provider to

schedule regular mammograms as appropriate for their risk.”


According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), breast

cancer is the most common cancer among adult women in the United States and

the second leading cause of death from cancer among women. Breast cancer

can be diagnosed early, when it is more likely curable. New Hampshire

breast cancer screening rates are one of the highest in the U.S. In 2010,

83.2% of women in the State over the age of 50 reported having a mammogram

within the past two years. That is a great achievement, as mammography can

detect breast cancer at an early stage, when treatment is most effective;

and consequently contributes to decline in mortality.


Many women are not aware that if they meet age and income criteria they can

receive FREE breast and cervical cancer screenings in New Hampshire through

the Let No Woman Be Overlooked Program. To determine if you or someone you

know is be eligible, please call 1-800-852-3345, x4931 or visit

www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/cdpc/bccp/index.htm

New Hampshire State Prison for Women in Goffstown will participate in the annual “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer”

(Goffstown, N.H.) On Saturday, October 15, 2011, many inmates at the New Hampshire State Prison for Women in Goffstown will participate in the annual “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” walkathon on the grounds of the prison.  As many as seventy-five women are expected to participate. They will walk around the soft ball field as a group twenty-six times, which is the equivalent of a 5K course.  Some may choose to walk longer. The event begins at 9:00 a.m.

NH CIVIL RIGHTS COMMITTEE TO RELEASE REPORT ON PRISON DISPARITIES OF INCARCERATED WOMEN

Eastern Regional Office of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

What:  Press Conference

Who:   New Hampshire Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

When: Monday, October 17, 2011 10:30 a.m.

Where:  Foyer of the Legislative Office Building, 33 North State Street

              Concord, New Hampshire 03301

WASHINGTON, DC – The New Hampshire Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights will release its report, “Unequal Treatment: Women Incarcerated in New Hampshire's State Prison System,” at a press conference in the Legislative Office Building. The report concludes that there are grave disparities between programs provided to incarcerated men and women that warrant action by the state’s policymakers and political leaders to end its unequal treatment of incarcerated women.

Background: The Advisory Committee conducted a two-year examination into allegations of sex-based disparities in the provision of basic programs and services within New Hampshire’s penal system. In the course of its examination, the Advisory Committee convened public briefings, toured several correctional facilities, and interviewed prisoners, correctional officials, community advocates, and other knowledgeable individuals to gather pertinent information. Based on this examination, the Advisory Committee now issues its findings and recommendations with respect to this serious allegation of civil rights violations.

As explained in the report, the Advisory Committee concludes that New Hampshire’s Department of Corrections faces a nearly insurmountable challenge in meeting many of the important needs of its female inmate population. The cramped, antiquated, and ill-equipped Goffstown facility prevents correctional officials from providing vocational training services, family visitation opportunities, access to outdoor programs, and treatment for serious mental health conditions at a level that even remotely approximates the comparable services and opportunities available to male offenders in New Hampshire’s correctional system.

Despite the social, economic, and human costs that attend these disparities, the state government has repeatedly refused to heed the advice of its own correctional officials and those with expertise in the field.  The Advisory Committee believes this situation requires immediate and sustained corrective action.  “It is past time for the state to take immediate steps to close the Goffstown prison and provide a facility that eliminates the inexcusable disparities that exist between the treatment of men and women in the state’s correctional system,” said  Jordan Budd, chair of the Advisory Committee.

Copies of the report will be available at the press conference.