home about wpa institute on women and criminal justice program services press room resources how you can help site map


Printer-friendly
Full Report



Click on the map
to go to the
individual state’s
female imprisonment
analysis.

A new report commissioned by the Institute on Women & Criminal Justice finds that female imprisonment in the U.S. has skyrocketed 757 percent since 1977. Women are the fastest-growing segment of the prison population, surpassing male prison population growth in all 50 states. These trends have profound consequences for communities, families and the women themselves. The report finds that the rise in the female prison population has been punctuated by growth spikes that reached higher, lasted longer and often began earlier than those affecting men. The pace of growth has fallen since 2000, but the rate at which women are added to prison each year remains high.

"The Punitiveness Report-HARD HIT: The Growth in Imprisonment of Women, 1977-2004" takes an in-depth look at female prison population growth patterns and regional trends, and it provides the first state-by-state analysis of female imprisonment from 1977 to 2004, with findings from all 50 states. The report was authored by Dr. Natasha Frost, Assistant Professor at Northeastern University, and Judith Greene and Kevin Pranis of Justice Strategies.

Press Inquiries: Keita de Souza, (212) 674-1163 x31. E-mail: kdesouza@wpaonline.org

Table of Contents

Foreword

Part I: Growth Trends and Recent Research

National prison population growth trends

Regional prison population growth trends

State variance in the use of imprisonment for women

What can research tell us about the problem

Policies that make a difference

Conclusion

Notes and Data Sources

Part II: State by State Analysis

National Overview

State Reports

Notes and Data Sources

Acknowledgements

About the Authors

 

 

empowering individuals, strengthening families, connecting women to the community
 
©2004 Women’s Prison Association  110 Second Ave. New York NY 10003  212-674-1163    Privacy Policy
 
Web-Stat hit counters