CRIMINOLOGY

Women in Prison

Women in Prison

Introduction

Through studies, it was revealed that women prisoners belong to the most vulnerable category of inmates. The data show that 86% of women surveyed were mothers, mostly single-parent headed families in exercising the head of household. A significant fact is that in the female prison population there is a high rate of foreigners making up almost half of women prisoners (48%). With respect to age, female detainees are of 36 years on average, confirming the tendency of a female prison population to live longer than men. It is especially important to know that out of the vast majority of women prisoners, 80% were not arrested at another time. In the case of women from minorities, the percentage of primaries is even higher, reaching 96%.

The Prosecution Policy on Women

The increase in the female prison population in recent decades is the result of the application of a criminal policy that focuses on marketing-related crime and drug trafficking. Most were arrested for crimes such as marketing or smuggling of narcotics. Nearly 7 in 10 women respond that they are prosecuted or sentenced for crimes related to drugs. 16.2% were arrested for crimes against property and only 14.2% of crimes against persons. The remaining 3.4% is prosecuted or convicted for other crimes. Note that 9 out of 10 foreign women are imprisoned for drug-related crimes (Home Office London, 2007, pp. 141).

Legal situation of the detainees

55.4% of women surveyed were in pretrial detention, a precautionary measure. The high percentage of women prisoners appears to signal an abuse of the institute that is incompatible with the purposes of the procedure, bearing in mind that we are facing a prison population which is, in general were arrested for crimes that are non-violent. These women are in a particularly vulnerable position because of family responsibilities and in some cases extreme poverty (Carlen, 1985, pp. 212).

Conditions of detention institutions

Health within federal prisons is a serious problem that has motivated collective claims by women. Thus, 40% of those who sought medical treatment had doctors visit them infrequently. Moreover, half of women were dissatisfied with the care and treatment of health workers. In turn, and if we relate the material conditions of shelter, hygiene, and food, the health system deficit, one can conclude that the closure has serious consequences regarding the deteriorating health of female prisoners. 47% of women suffering from illness had been contracted in detention. In ...