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INCARCERATED WOMEN
In the past decade, the number of incarcerated women
has increased dramatically. Although the rate of incarceration
for women remains much lower than it is for men, from 1990
to 2000, the total number of women in Federal and State
prisons
and local jails nearly doubled (83,253 to 165,649).
Substance abuse is a major health concern for incarcerated
females. In 1997, 40.4 percent of females were using
drugs, and 29.1 percent were under the influence of alcohol,
at
the time of their offense. Additionally, 62.4 percent
reported using drugs sometime during the month prior to
their offense.
Obtaining help to address these behaviors is important.
In 1997, 19.6 percent of incarcerated females received
treatment
for substance abuse, and 31.9 percent had participated
in another type of substance abuse program, since admission.
A history of victimization is another health concern for
many women under correctional authority. In 1997,
44 percent
of females on probation or incarcerated in local jails
and State prisons reported having been physically or
sexually assaulted at some point in their lives, with
over two-thirds
reporting an assault before the age of 18 years. Incarcerated
females also have an increased risk for infectious
diseases, mental illness, chronic disease, and reproductive
health
problems. In 1997, an estimated 2,200 females in State
prisons
(3.5 percent) tested HIV-positive, and 23 percent received
medication for an emotional disorder.1
The
health and well being of incarcerated women may also
affect their children. In 1997, 65.3 percent of
women
in State custody and 58.8 percent of women in Federal
custody
had minor children, and 5 percent were pregnant at
the time of admission.2
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1Greenfeld
LA and Snell TL. Women Offenders. U.S. Department of Justice,
Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, December 1999.
http://www.ojp.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/wo.pdf [Back
to Text]
2Mumola CJ. Incarcerated Parents
and Their Children. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau
of Justice
Statistics Special
Report, August 2000. http://www.ojp.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/iptc.pdf [Back
to Text] |
