Incarceration of Women Chapter 12

1. Incarceration of Women Chapter 12

2. Acknowledging Gender: Key Differences • Sex & gender differences • Health issues • Violence against women & children • Interrelationship between substance abuse, mental health & trauma • Socioeconomic status: employment & education

3. Women Tend to be the “Forgotten Offenders” • women commit fewer crimes than men • female criminality tends to be less serious than male criminality • historically, women have tended more often than men to be ignored by the justice system • women constitute a small proportion of the U.S. prison population (7%) but the number of women prisoners is increasing faster than that of men prisoners.

4. Women’s Prisons • women’s prisons are located farther from friends & family, inhibiting visits, especially for the poor • women’s prisons lack diverse educational, vocational, and other programs available in men’s prisons • women’s prisons lack specialization in treatment

5. Female Prison Reform in 1800s • separation of women from men • provision of differential care for women • management of women’s prisons by female staff • Elizabeth Fry – 19th century English Quaker who was a champion of women’s prison reform

6. Characteristics of Women in the Criminal Justice System • More than one million women are currently under criminal justice supervision in the U.S. • Women comprise 17% of the total number of offenders under CJ supervision • The number of women in state and federal prisons increased over nine-fold, from 12,300 in 1980 to 114,979 in 2009.

7. Women in the C.J. System • The number of women in prison has increased at nearly the double the rate of men since 1985, 404% vs. 209%. • Women have not become more violent as a group.Women are less likely than men to incarcerated for a violent offense (35% vs. 53%) • Women are more likely to have been convicted of crimes involving property (30%) or drugs (29%) . • Drug offenses represent the largest source of population growth for women, as opposed to violent offenses for men.

8. Who are the Women? • Disproportionately women of color • In their early to mid-thirties • Most likely to have been convicted of a property or drug offense • Fragmented family histories with other family members in the CJ system • Survivors of physical and/or sexual abuse

9. Significant substance abuse problems • Multiple physical & mental health problems • Unmarried mothers of minor children • High school degree/GED • Limited vocational training • Sporadic work histories

10. Women in California Prisons • The female prison population in California has grown more rapidly than the male prison population. • Between 1983 and 2009, the number of women incarcerated in California increased five-fold, from about 2,000 to 11,000. There are currently 9,500 women in CA prisons. • Women make up about 7% of the prison population. • There are 12,000 women on parole. • Women make up about 12% of the parole population.

11. Offense Profiles of CA Female Inmates • In 2007, over two-thirds of female inmates in California prisons were serving sentences for property (33%), drug (28%) or other offenses (7%). • In 2007, 30% of female inmates were serving sentences for crimes against persons as compared to 52% of male inmates.

12. Race & Ethnicity • African American women comprise only 13% of all women in the U.S., yet they make-up nearly half of the women in State and Federal prisons. • In 2005, Black women were more than three times as likely as white women to be incarcerated in prison or jail. • Similarly, in California, African American women and Latinas are overrepresented in our prison system.

13. The Context of Women’s Lives • Pathways Perspective • Relational – Cultural Theory • Trauma Theory • Addiction Theory

14. Substance Abuse • Approximately 80% in state prisons have substance abuse problems • About half had been using alcohol, drugs, or both at the time of their offense • Nearly 1 in 3 women in state prisons report committing the offense to support a drug habit • Women offenders in state prisons report higher drug usage than their male counterparts

15. The Drug-Crime Connection for Women • Onset in women faster & deeper • Onset of drugs first, crime usually follows closely • Dual diagnosis relationship • Role of self-medication & trauma

16. Violence Against Women and Children • Witnessing domestic violence as a childmay cause increased vulnerability to victimization in adulthood • Women in the CJ system have extensive histories of physical & sexual abuse and are 3 times more likely than men to have a history of abuse • One-third of women in state prison & one-quarter of those in jails report being raped at some time in their lives • Women’s substance abuse is highly correlated with physical & sexual abuse

17. Mental Health • Women in the criminal justice system have a higher incidence of mental disorders than women in general • Female inmates in state prisons had higher rates of mental health problems than male inmates (73% of females vs. 55% of males) • Women offenders have histories of abuse associated with psychological trauma • Approximately 75% with serious mental illness also have co-occurring substance abuse disorders • Women with mental illness & co-occurring disorders experience difficulties in prison & jail settings

18. “Pseudo-families” • a distinguishinghallmark of the “subculture” in many women’s prisons (as compared with men’s) • women often cope with the stresses of incarceration by bonding together in extended “families” of convenience. • different women play the roles of various members of the family, including father, mother, siblings, grandchildren, even cousins

19. Key Issues in the Incarceration of Women • educational & vocational training • female programs tend to reflect stereotypical “female” occupations • medical services • women have more serious health problems– In 2004, one of every 42 (2.4%) women in prison was diagnosed as HIV positive compared to one of every 59 (1.7%) men • mothers & their children majority of women are mothers

20. Children • Approximately 70% of women under correctional supervision have at least 1 child under 18 • Two-thirds of incarcerated women have children under 18 • An estimated 1.3 million minor children have a mother under correctional supervision • More than a quarter of a million children have mothers in jail or prison

21. Why Punish The Children? • Incarceration takes a significant toll on children who often witness their mother’s arrest and are at risk of being separated from their siblings, either by being placed with relatives or in foster care. • It is estimated that children of offenders are five times more likely than their peers to end up in prison themselves. • One in ten will have been incarcerated before reaching adulthood.

22. Major Differences Between Male and Female Prisoners • Women prisoners receive fewer visits than their male counterparts. Many states have only one women’s prison which is located far away from children and families • Women are less violent • Women form close relationships and pseudo families while men join gangs • Women were usually the primary caretaker of children prior to incarceration and plan to reunite with their children upon their release from prison

23. National Institute of Corrections Gender- Responsive Strategies (Bloom, Owen, & Covington (2003) Guiding Principles • Acknowledge that gender makes a difference. • Create an environment based on safety, respect, and dignity. • Develop policies, practices, and programs that are relational and promote healthy connections to children, family, significant others, and the community.

24. Guiding Principles Continued • Address substance abuse, trauma, and mental health issues through comprehensive, integrated, and culturally relevant services. • Provide women with opportunities to improve their socio-economic conditions. • Establish a system of comprehensive and collaborative community services.

25. Barriers Facing Women Returning to their Communities • Welfare Benefits • Housing • Education and Employment • Reunification with Children

26. Legal Barriers • Personal Responsibility & Work Opportunity Act of 1996 • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) • Higher Education Act of 1998 • Public Housing - Section 8 • Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997

27. Recommendations for Improving Reentry Services for Women • Alternatives to incarceration should be the sanction of first choice. • For women who are incarcerated, planning for reentry should begin at the start of the prison sentence. • Women should be released from prison with the tools and support they need to succeed in the community. • Communities should be provided with the necessary resources to assist women and their families. • Public policies should promote family and community well-being.

28. The California Approach • Instituting, for the majority of female offenders who will be released to the community, a reentry plan at reception. • Promoting a continuity-of-care model which provides support services from incarceration through transition to the community. • Designing wraparound services for each individual woman including substance abuse, mental health, trauma, family reunification, housing, financial assistance, educational, employment, childcare, transportation, and advocacy.