Blog Post #15

Starting in the 1980 and through the mid 1990s, the US experienced a huge population growth. With this, we saw a large increase in number of people incarcerated. At the beginning of this population boom, the imprisonment of women increased four times, while the imprisonment of men increased but not nearly as much. When the growth of the population seemed to level out the number of women in prison kept growing. We saw a trend that the states that had a high rate of population growth overall, had a higher rate of women in prison as well. Likewise, those states that had a drop in population saw a drop in the amount of women in prison. While the number of women incarcerated has grown, they still hold a relatively small portion of the overall prison population. Researchers have attributed this recent growth of women in prison to a few historical changes in the US. An example is the movement for equal rights for women. This could have caused more women to become involved with crime, and it could have led to more equal punishment. We also saw an increase in domestic violence during this time, and pro-arrest policies were instated. These may have led to more arrests of women for domestic assault that we may not have seen in the past. During this time, crack cocaine was introduced to the US, and so was the “war on drugs.” This “war” was supposed decrease the violence of men, but it has been greatly affecting women as well. Now, 32% of women prisoners are serving time for drug offenses. Drug arrests have been a major player in the increase in female prison population, but not so much for men which has stayed about the same.

Many reformers are concerned that women have inadequate access to education, vocational training, health care, and psychological treatment, and this has been attributed to their relatively low numbers and the high cost. They are also concerned with the fact that 70% of these women have children who are being negatively impacted by their mother’s incarceration. It is argued that the domestic responsibilities should be taken into account because their children experienced hardship before and during incarceration, and they will experience more after release. These children experience separation from siblings, constant change in caregivers, anxiety, guilt, and fear. A major concern in how well a female convict will be able to provide for her family after release because the conviction will greatly affect how she will get the much needed resources. It is likely that if she cannot do this she will relapse and return to a life of crime. Reformers are fighting for alternatives to incarceration that are based in the community on order to give these women a way to lead a self sufficient life. Many of the women are prison are serving time for non-violent offenses and women tend to have low recidivism rates so it will not jeopardize public safety.

Arizona’s history is similar in the fact that they saw an increase in prison populations overall and of women. However, they are different because they rank 7th in the nation for the female imprisonment rate. Since 1999, they saw a 60% increase in the female prison population. They tend to be tough in comparison to most states.