Women in Prison

There are so many reasons why women make up the vast majority of prison’s population. According to the (National Women’s Law Center) women prisoners report significant histories of domestic violence. Thirty-two percent of women in prison about 4,000 women are serving sentences for murder was convicted of killing a husband, ex-boyfriend or boyfriend. Six percent of women are pregnant when they enter prison. In almost all cases, the woman is abruptly separated from her child after giving birth. When women go to prison, it takes a devastating toll on the family. Sixty-seven percent of women incarcerated in state prisons are mothers of children under 18 years of age. Seventy percent of these women compared to 50% of men had custody of their dependent children prior to incarceration.
Since there are fewer facilities for women, an incarcerated woman is ordinarily much farther away from her home and her family then the average male prisoner. The increased distance causes transportation problems for children of prisoners and as a result deprives the women prisoner contract with their children. According to (Women in Prison: A Fact Sheet) states how women are powerless and humiliating, with retaliation and fear, and impunity. Powerlessness and Humiliation states there are 148,200 women in state and federal prisons. In federal women’s correctional facilities, 70% of guards are male. Records show that male guards have subjected female inmates to rape, other sexual assault, sexual extortion, and groping during body searches. Male correctional officers watch women undress, in the shower or toilet. Male correctional officials retaliate, often brutally, against female inmates who complain about sexual assault and harassment. Retaliation and Fear -States that many states guards have access to and are encouraged to review inmates’ personal history files (this includes any record of complaints against themselves or other prison authorities). The guards threaten the

References: National Women’s Law Center, Washington, D.C., and Chicago Legal Aid to Incarcerated Mothers. (www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~kastor/walking-steel-95/ws-women-in-prison.html) “The Issue: Sexual Assault and Misconduct Against Women in Prison” (www.amnestyusa.org/women) Women in Prison, Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991. US Department of Justice, March 1994, NCJ 145321 (www.amnestyusa.org/women)