Abstract
The number of women entering into the criminal justice system in the United States has increased exponentially over the past few decades, even as the overall criminal justice population has decreased. Research on women in the criminal justice system is limited, and even more so for women in jail. Few studies have looked into mental illness and substance use in this population, those that have are typically quantitative studies. This study, guided by pathways theory, was a qualitative analysis of the stories of women in jail regarding mental health and substance use. Using a phenomenological design, this study analyzed the stories of 25 women in a rural county jail in Alabama. Stories were coded to identify common themes across the interviews. Coding revealed the following themes: Substance Use and Related Issues, Mental Health, Trauma, the Impact of Jail, and Treatment. Most women had experiences with substance use, mental illness, or both. Stories revealed extensive trauma histories and generational substance use and criminal justice involvement. Results are consistent with the concepts that make up pathways theory and other current literature. Implications for social work span all levels of practice. More research should be conducted on this small, but important, population within the criminal justice system.