The Department of Corrections and advocates want to improve the programming and services for women inmates.
A Senate Committee is considering a proposal to hire a senior level administrator to oversee that population.
New Hampshire Public Radio's Dan Gorenstein has more.
The new position goes by the title Administrator of Women Offenders and Family Services.
Any potential applicant had better be competent.
Executive Director of the New Hampshire Commission on the Status of Women Terri de Langis says the scope of the job is very broad.
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3:59 they would be responsible for looking across the system, not only in the department, but on probation, parole and out in the community and making sure there is a cohesive policy.
de Langis says the administrator would implement and oversee programming like mental health and substance abuse counseling, life skills and job training.
They would also coordinate DOC programs with other state agencies to help offenders work their way back into the community.
The bill comes after years of studies and reports that found the women's prison in Goffstown thoroughly inadequate.
It also comes on the heels of revelations that the DOC has paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in sexual misconduct cases in the past few years.
The new administrator would also play a role in those cases as well.
New DOC Commissioner Bill Wrenn says the timing for the legislation couldn't be better.
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4:26 I think having a person as an administrator in the DOC to focus solely on these issues I think is going to start to address the issues...we have to start somewhere, and I think this is an excellent start at bringing us up to the level we need to be at today.
Under the bill, the new hire would be paid 75 thousand dollars a year.
Commissioner Wrenn says he envisions the new supervisor would make budget recommendations... but not control any budget in particular.
And he also couldn't say where this new position would fit into the hierarchy of the department.
But the absence of any budget or any real authority didn't bother de Langis with the Commission on the Status of Women.
She says the need is so great right now, anything will help.
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5:12 what we really need is someone who is accountable. Who is it that is in charge of making sure that this small minority population is not being overwhelmed by the system. Who is the person in charge when you call to ask the question about...the fact that women are serving longer sentences b/c they don't have the programs the judgest think they have? Who is the person in charge? Who is the person that is going to create change? That's what we are asking for.
Well aware of New Hampshire lawmaker's soft-spot for financial arguments, bill supporters stressed the money implications of the situation.
It costs the state $25 thousand a year to house a female offender.
It's even more expensive if the woman has a child who winds up in foster care.
And according to state statistics half the women inmates return to prison after their release.
Supporters are modeling the legislation after a program in Maryland that has reduced its recidivism rate to 3%.
Former inmate Linday Purty underscored the need to break the cycle both on a human and a financial level with her story.
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3:48 I have a friend who I have staid in touch with from my experience twenty years ago. She has a 19 year old son. That boy was inside of her when I first met her. He's been arrested six times in the last six months. She's unemployable. She did not get treatment. Not only did it affect her, it affected her son. Now he is 19, and in the last six months he's been arrested for sexual assault on a minor. That boy was taken from her when he was three days old, and not seen again for 17 months...and now, 19 years later she is still dealing with the issues of her not having treatment. And this child, who knows how much it will cost the state.
No one testified against the legislation.
One senator on the Judiciary Committee did say he would like to amend the bill to include a similar administrator for male inmates.
The Committee is expected to vote on the bill next week.
For NHPR News, I'm DG.
