NCJ Number
135765
Date Published
1992
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This report presents evidence that the current level of women's imprisonment in the United States is disproportionate to the absolute need for such confinement and supports the emerging consensus that scarce jail or prison space should be reserved for dangerous offenders.
Abstract
The report notes that since 1980 the number of women imprisoned in the United States has nearly tripled. Approximately 75,000 women are now housed in American jails and prisons. Increases in the number of incarcerated women have surpassed male rates of increase for the past decade, and an unprecedented number of expensive prison spaces are currently being built for women. This report argues that these trends should be challenged and that the construction of new women's prisons should be halted until several critical questions can be answered. Policymakers should determine whether the imprisonment of increasing numbers of women offenders is the best or most cost-effective method for addressing the substantial social problems that underlie female criminality. They should also consider what alternatives to incarceration exist that can improve the ability of female offenders to lead law-abiding lives. Also, how can States shift from a growing reliance on incarceration to more frequent use of community resources for criminal sanctions. This report favors an expansion of community-based programs for women rather than reliance upon incarceration. 3 figures, 34 notes, and 45 references