Womens Narratives of Incarceration as related to Problem Gambling & their Recovery2001-2005Eugenia CastroGamblers Help WesternVictoria, Australia

Eugenia.Castro@isispc.com.au

Gamblers Help Western(GHW) Provision of services at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre (DPFC)Twenty women incarcerated at DPFC who self-referred to Gamblers Help Western for counselling because of problem gambling (PG) related to their crime between 2001-2005.

OverviewBrief ProfileAssessment and intervention Womens narrativesRecommendations

Summary of ProfileHigh percent of women had the following profile:

Professionals, frequently in a position of financial trust (accountancy, law, management)

Problem with pokies primarily, secondly with Casino gambling.

Mainly white collar crime (fraud, embezzlement) and no previous criminal history, ie gamblers who offend versus long standing offenders who gamble

Underlying key issues: domestic violence, grief & loss, workplace and mental health issues.

Psychosocial AssessmentInstrument: Empathic interviewing.History of gambling and problem gambling formation, costs of gambling and underlying issues.Motivation for change. Cognitive, emotional and psychological assessment. Assessment of clients strengths, coping mechanisms Family system

Counselling and Support:

Readiness, motivation and willingness to deal with problem gambling, crime and debt. (Harm minimization)

Womans particular story, pain, shame, remorse.

Process of reparation of trust: partner, family, society and self.

Resilience and survival in and beyond prison.

Dialogue about the future, freedom, hopes (including double fear/pain of stigma and discrimination as problem gambler and ex-prisoner).

NarrativesThree women with problem gamblingand their stories:

MariaLinaAnita

MariaMaria is a woman in her thirties, from Chinese & Australian background. Married with no children.

Maria was an accountant who became a victim of racism in the workplace. She felt lonely because her husband was working overseas and she did not want to worry him with her problems. Maria said she used gambling as a distraction from her feelings of humiliation and anger. Alleged fraud from the workplace: $2.5 million.Sentence: Four years jail with parole and a debt.

Maria contdPlaying pokies helped me to unwind, but later whenever I felt humiliated by racist remarks , I had the urge to play the pokies I was able to forget and feel some comfort.

The venue was a place to hide from work, from my own feelings, they (venue staff) treated me well. I lost control, I started to chase my loses and acquired gambling debts. One day I crossed the line and took money from work and told myself that the machine would pay it back.

Maria contdIt was a relief when I was caught even though I lost my self, my job and my freedom. I am fortunate I have the support of my parents and husband.

After all I went through I decided that I will protect my self by moving away from abusive situations. I felt targeted in my job in prison and proactively changed jobs, where I feel more in control.

Maria contdId rather take responsibility for what I did, I would not like to feel like a victim.

I prefer to think positively and not feel depressed because of the future. I need to live day by day.

LinaLina is a 46 year old Australian woman.

She earned scholarships and became an accountant and held a few managerial positions.

Lina was dealing with an emotionally abusive relationship. She said that she enjoyed the pokies, the machine helped her to forget about her husbands putdowns. At the venue, she felt like a winner.

Sentence: 18 months in prison.

Alleged fraud of $300,000 from the workplace.

Lina contdI always thought the money I took from work was a loan . I gambled the winnings, I could not stop. Finally they caught me, and I was relieved.

Lina contd

I need to learn how to say no, to speak out and talk with someone about my childhood and the physical and emotional abuse.

I lost the trust of my family, my children and my employer. I feel remorseful, ashamed and depressed for what I did.

I received a letter from my in-laws about their feelings of disappointment. Id rather they do not write to me.

I was worried about the trial and the lack of contact with my lawyer. Also for the custody of my youngest son.

For the future, I just want to be free and see my children.

I am coming to terms with a future of financial struggles because of the debts I have to pay back, at the end of my sentence.Lina contd

Anita Anita is a 42 year old woman from a CALD background. Her firstmarriage was arranged.

After she initiated separation, her parents and husband did not let her see her toddler. I felt I didnt have the right to be a mother.

Anita remarried years later and her husband was physically abusive. She said the venue staff were very nice to me and it was a place to hide from my life.

Anita spent five years in prison and a year on parole.

Anita allegedly embezzled over $2 million.

I am determined to be strong and survive jail without medication.

I needed the pokies, they were like a daily drug to alleviate my emotional pain . I lost weight and I was suicidal. I was ashamed and am still hiding from people and myself.

I am paying for my crime. I am not in touch with my family. Some times its hard to think about facing responsibilities and life. I have a huge debt.Anita contd

Do people guess I was in prison?

Will people give me a job after I finish my course?Anita contd

Some implications for effective clinical practiceAvoid pathologising normal/healthy responses to a very difficult, stressful prison environment

Practitioner advocacy for on-going practical support during and after release to promote sustainable change in:further study, training and employment, health, housing, income.

Pay attention to power issues (gender, ethnicity)

Validation of critical impact of lack of support in both emergence of problem gambling and recovery

Support women to overcome double discrimination they suffer (as prisoners and problem gamblers)

Promotion of greater responsibility within workplaces to recognise problem gambling as a health & welfare issue for employees

Greater integration of Gamblers Help services with Pre and Post-release services

More meaningful data collection &/or research into illegal activities related to problem gambling.

Advocacy with the Justice System for sentence mitigation in problem gambling - related crime

Much more effective consumer protection regulations that support harm minimisation (eg smart cards)

A government agenda for the prevention of problem gambling-related crime.Recommendations for broader sector & structural change

Tip of the iceberg

THIS PAPER IS BASED IN THE STORY OF 20 WOMEN WHO PRESENTED TO GAMBLERS HELP WESTERN BECAUSE OF PROBLEM GAMBLING RELATED CRIME.Gamblers Help started to provided problem gambling counselling since 2001 and our commitment to this service is ongoing. THE SEQUENCE OF THIS PRESENTATION IS: A BRIEF PROFILE, GHW ASSESSMENT AND INTERVENTION THE NARRATIVES OF 3 WOMEN, WHO CONSENTED TO USE THEIR WORDS FOR THIS PRESENTATION// THE CASES HAVE BEEN COMPOSED TO MAINTAIN ANONIMITY.///FINALLY RECOMMENDATIONSTHIS IS A BRIEF PROFILE, HOWEVER A MORE DETAILED VERSION IS AVAILABLE. Most of clients were professional women who held position of financial trust:The highest professions were were accountancy, law and management. Their problem gambling were mainly with pokies and casino games. Most of them engaged in White Collar crime and they did not have a previous criminal history. The key underlying issues were domestic violence, grief and loss and workplace harassment. THE ASSESSMENT IS BASE IN EMPHATIC INTERVIEWING: A TOOL TO UNDERSTAND WOMENS STORY OF PROBLEM GAMBLING, CRIME, UNDERLYING ISSUES, MOTIVATION FOR CHANGE. THE ASSESSMENT IS ALSO A PROCESS OF DISCOVERING CLIENTS STRENGHTS, COPING MECHANISM AND FAMILY AND SOCIAL SUPPORT. THE PROVISION OF COUNSELLING AND SUPPORT IS BASED IN A FEMINIST VIEW. The approach is ECLECTIC, AND IT INCLUDES FAMILY AND ART THERAPY. Usually clients during the counselling session engage in a dialogue about the readiness for change in the areas of problem gambling, crime, coming to terms with a large debts & financial loses. THE COUNSELLOR CHALLENGE IS TO HOLD RESPECTFULLY, THE WOMAN STORY OF PAIN, SHAME AND REMORSE.The counsellor usually finds that women discuss their willingness to ENGAGE IN PROCESS OF REPARATION OF TRUST WITH PARTNER, FAMILY, SOCIETY AND SELF.

A frequent counselling goal for these WOMEN IS TO SURVIVE JAIL WITHOUT THE USE OF MEDICATION BUT USING THEIR OWN INTERNAL RESOURCES. At this point is important to highlight that these women were high achievers.

Themes that are confronting to discuss in the process of counselling --- but relevant to recovery--- are future and hope. In terms of the future, is important to discuss the double fear, pain of stigma and discrimination as problem gambler and ex-prisoner.

Next I would like to share the narratives of Maria, Lina and Anita