Women in Prison

Women in Prison

Introduction

Around 20 years ago, around four percent of Iowa's prison population consisted of females. Female offenders now represent around nine percent of total prison population. In other part of the decade, there is a projection that their representation might increase by one more percent consisting of prison population. In the period between 1995 and 2004, the national female inmate population had an increment about 53%, compared to 31% for men; in Iowa. Similarly, female inmate population had an increment over 83%, compared to 49% for men. Iowa has an overall ranking of 38th in the incarceration rates among all the states, but 28th in incarceration of women. The female offender population that was under the observation experienced a faster growth as compare to male offender population.

In the last ten years, the female offender field services population in Corrections is now twice because the number of offenders increased from 3,448 offenders on June 30, 1995 to 7,152 on June 30, 2005. In comparison, the growth rate of male offender grew by just 45%. Female offenders cover a certain part of the crime committed in the society. The percentage of female criminals is growing very quickly. It can be seen that the female offender population is growing, their supervision consisting of the needs and services within the criminal justice system are even experiencing high level of attention. Incarceration of women had reflective effect on the families and communities that were told to spend their life in the way they wanted. Children did not have mothers and it became a difficult for the children along with the mothers. In the last ten years, the female inmate population had an increment about 91%, from 395 inmates on June 30, 1995 to 754 on June 30, 2005. Similarly, the male offender population also experienced a growth of 48%. In the upcoming ten years, there is a projection regarding female inmate population which is expected to increase by about 40%. This can be compared to a projected 19% growth in the male offender population, and there is a chance that the number might reach 1,054 inmates by mid-year 2015 if current trends, policies and practices will keep on continuing in the same manner.

Women's higher growth rate is probably because of an increment in the percentage of the females arrested due to several accidents. For instance, in the period between 1995 and 2004, arrests of women stood up to 13 percent while the number of women behind prison bars reached a level of 53 percent.  Female imprisonment rates even increased to 36 percent over the same period, as compare to an increase of 17 percent for men. Women's share of the prison population experienced a growth of 6.3 percent to 7.2 percent. Prison space for female inmates has a high number of crowded people as compare to male inmates, and there is a chance that overcrowding for female inmates might continue to get worse. The percentage of those people that have high number ...