NCJ Number
188043
Journal
The Prison Journal Volume: 81 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2001 Pages: 113-132
Editor(s)
Janice Joseph
Date Published
March 2001
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This article examined the role of race in the patterns of incarceration of women in the State of Maryland during the period 1812 to 1869.
Abstract
This article examines the role of race in the patterns of incarceration of women in the State of Maryland during three critical periods: pre-Civil War, Civil War, and post-Civil War. Maryland, a border State, was wedged geographically and politically between the forces of slavery and abolition. In addition to race, the study identifies female offenders by examining place of birth, age, and occupation. Black women outnumbered white women in the Maryland State Penitentiary from 1812 to 1869. The study supported the findings that black women often outnumbered whites in custodial units. Even though most female inmates in the penitentiary were born in the United States and most in Maryland, there were significant differences in the place of birth by race. The majority of female inmates were not native white Marylanders, but more likely to be black or foreign born. The peak ages for black (18-24) and white (25-34) female inmates remained constant over the three time periods. Both black and white women were more likely to reside in Baltimore, the more urban area of Maryland, but a number of black female inmates had lived in more rural and more agricultural counties of the State prior to their incarceration. The study showed that typically the place of conviction mirrored the place of residence. In summary, the women sentenced to the Maryland State Penitentiary were young (18-24), black or foreign born, living in Baltimore County/City, and working as housemaids. Most of the female inmates, black and white, were committed for property offenses. Although most inmates served their full sentences, blacks inmates did receive longer sentences and served more time than white inmates. The Maryland State Penitentiary opened when the State had a large slave population. In the Maryland data, the impact of slavery is seen on the differential treatment of black and white female inmates. The study recognizes that the differential impact of historical events on different people is crucial to the understanding of these events. References