More Women in Prison Than Ever Before

[slappypan]

More Women in Prison Than Ever Before

WASHINGTON - The number of women in state and federal prisons is at an all-time high and growing fast, with the incarceration rate for females increasing at nearly twice that of men, the government reported Sunday.

There were 101,179 women in prisons last year, 3.6 percent more than in 2002, the Justice Department (news - web sites) said. That marks the first time the women's prison population has topped 100,000, and continues a trend of rapid growth. ...

Year by year, the number of women incarcerated grew an average of 5 percent, compared to an average annual increase of 3.3 percent for men.

"It coincides exactly with the inception of the war on drugs," in the 1980s and continuing into the 1990s, Mauer said. "It represents a sort of vicious cycle of women engaged in drug abuse and often connected with financial or psychological dependence with a boyfriend," or other man involved in drug crime, Mauer said.

[Anakin Skywalker]

1. Expect More...

if Shrub and his fundie base were to get 100% of their way.

[Caution]

2. This is misleading in that men represent the VAST majority imprisoned

For an annual increase of 3.3% over 30,000 men must be imprisoned whereby for women that number is only 5,000

The whole societal view of incarceration must change in the near future unless we plan to simply imprison whole generations.

[slappypan]

3. They are looking to expand "market share"

Prisons are a business, and a major form of "redneck socialism" — money and jobs to rural areas paid for by urban areas. With so many men in prison, they are now looking for ways to imprison more women.

[Caution]

6. Hit the nail on the head there.

[DebJ]

4. wouldn't population growth itself have this result? I am reading

that the total numbers increased....but what about total percent of women in prison divided by total number of women in population? Would not that be more accurate?

[Caution]

5. Not even close. Population growth in the US is 0.92% (2004 est.)

according to the CIA World FAct book:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html#People

[jcappy]

7. 72% there for non-violent crimes

this is in state prisons. also 57% of women prisoners were victims of sexual or physical assault. 35% were abused by an intimate.

the racial breakdown of women prisoners is similar to that of men--which is 44% Black.

[Porcupine]

8. Women have an equal right to be prosecuted.

For stupid drug law violations as men do. All too frequently what happens is a couple is using/selling and they bust the guy and let the woman off in exchange for a guilty plea on the man's part. Of course we could all take the veiw that women are too incompetant to be responsible for their drug problems but....

As for women in prison for violent crime. Women get lighter charges and lighter sentances across the board for violent crime. Women get probation for manslaughter charges where men do time for bruises.

You can reform the system for all of us or none. Men have been eating this s**t for years.

[MaryBear]

9. Some of this has to do with narrowing gender gap,

I suspect, in that women previously were less likely to be arrested even though they did participate in criminal activities -- they were not "seen." Now they are, and that is a down side of a narrowing gender gap.