DOSIFICACION DE PRODUCTOS

in six months?; When will I get my license back?) as opposed to immediate supervision issues. Practitioners reported that men, on the other hand, tend to want to get out of their appointments as quickly as possible and do not feel the need to have lengthy conversations with their probation officer or case manager.

It was also agreed by many practitioners that women require more guidance and support in relation to practical issues as well as emotional issues. In this regard, some practitioners indicated that female drunk drivers generally are more emotional about their circumstances, and it is not uncommon for them to express intense emotions during these appointments. They reported that women can be more sensitive to feedback, and for these reasons, appointments with women can be more emotionally draining for officers. Practitioners reported that female offenders tend to sense when probation officers are not “being genuine with them” and therefore, it is important to assign practitioners who want to work with this population and have the requisite skillset. Practitioners acknowledged that necessary attributes include a caring demeanor, an excellent grasp of motivational interviewing techniques, a willingness to help female offenders be successful, and the ability to hold them accountable in the event of violations.

It is estimated that a majority of practitioners acknowledged that female drunk drivers generally tend to be less forthcoming, particularly in relation to their past experiences as well as current living or family situation than males. For example, women generally will not report domestic violence unless there are obvious signs or family members get involved. They consistently agreed that practitioners have to listen for flags and ask more questions at the outset to gain a complete understanding of the situation of female drunk drivers. Male drunk drivers are the opposite in that they are much more likely to volunteer information and be an “open book.” As one practitioner noted, “Men are straightforward. Women can be exhausting to deal with.” Overall, there appeared to be a high level of consensus among practitioners that the reasons why female drunk drivers have a problem with alcohol and/ or other substances are often more complex than is the case for males. As a consequence, practitioners indicated that they frequently need to spend more time gathering information about the offender’s life history or current situation when they are female. They also spend more time trying to identify

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key issues and triggers (e.g., Do they have issues with authority?; Do they have a history of abuse?) as well as optimal strategies to manage female drunk drivers.

Researchers estimated that most practitioners agreed that time management (i.e., scheduling of priorities and responsibilities) is more often an issue for female drunk drivers than it is for males. Whereas they reported that male drunk drivers often have fewer responsibilities (e.g., no children), or may have a spouse to provide support (e.g., drive them around), female drunk drivers generally have more responsibilities in terms of childcare, employment, finances, and community involvement, particularly if they are a single parent. This can make it more of a challenge for them to fulfill all of the requirements related to their supervision and treatment, and, for this reason, it is essential that female drunk drivers develop a plan to enable them to manage these responsibilities. At the same time, practitioners also acknowledged that women require more flexibility in scheduling in order to enable them to successfully cope with these increased demands. Practitioners suggested that probation officers should recognize the hardships and demands that female offenders face in their daily lives and work with them in a collaborative fashion to assist them in meeting their supervision requirements.

There appeared to be a high level of consensus among practitioners that women are often busier, particularly at the beginning of supervision as they learn to handle the increased number of appointments and conditions imposed upon them. Some of them also suggested that female drunk drivers being busy can be an important factor in their remaining sober as it keeps them out of trouble and eliminates distractions that contribute to their drinking behavior.

An estimated half of the practitioners also acknowledged that female drunk drivers are more employable than males, and some of them also suggested that this may be because they more often seek low-level, minimum wage jobs which are more readily available. A number of practitioners reported that it was not uncommon for females to be more fearful about losing their teaching/nursing license and are more concerned about the embarrassment of having to report their offense as part of the re-licensing process. Practitioners noted that, as a consequence, females are also less likely to renew their professional license once it expires and this can result in them seeking alternative employment at a lower wage.

FEMALE DRUNK DRIVERS |A QUALITATIVE STUDY Practitioner Interview Results

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