NCJ Number
188483
Date Published
2002
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This chapter reviews the current status of women in prison in America.
Abstract
The discussion began with an examination of female incarceration rates, how they have changed over time, and reasons for the increase. Female inmates comprised approximately 6 percent of the Nation's prison population and approximately 11 percent of the Nation's jail population in December 1999; therefore, separate jails and prisons for female inmates were few. Indeed, most States have only one prison for female offenders. Across the country, the female inmate population was increasing at a much faster rate than the male inmate population. What these statistics forebode was that over time overcrowding would become especially pronounced in female correctional institutions. These alarming rates of prison and jail population increases may be explained by the current "get tough on crime" ideology. A profile of female inmates showed that most convictions for female offenders were for misdemeanors, typically offenses of prostitution, property, and/or drugs. Drug offenders were increasingly composing the largest segment of the female prison population. Estimates from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (April 1999:1) indicated that 57 percent of women who were incarcerated in State prisons across the United States in 1997 had previously been sexually or physically abused, compared with 16 percent of male prison inmates. This chapter also provided data on female inmates with HIV/AIDS, as well as data on their criminal histories, race/ethnicity, age, education, employment status, marital status, and children. A section on correctional programming and policy issues that involved female inmates focused on education and vocational programs, substance abuse treatment, parenting programs, and health care concerns. 4 notes and 30 references