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1 Lawrence A. Greenfeld & Stephanie Minor-Harper, Women in Prison 1 (1991)

handle is hein.death/woprs0001 and id is 1 raw text is: U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report Women in Prison By Lawrence A. Greenfeld and Stephanie Minor-Harper BJS Statisticians The number of women under the jurisdiction of State and Federal prison authorities at yearend 1989 reached a record 40,556. Although the female inmate population had grown by more than 27,000 since 1980, an increase of over 200/6, females still com- prised a relatively small segment of the prison population - 5.7% at yearend 1989. This report, based primarily on the 1986 Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, describes women in State prisons -their characteristics as a group, their criminal history, and their past drug use. Survey respondents in 1986 are compared to those surveyed in 1979 to gain an overview of the changes in the female prison population. Specific findings include the following: * The rate of growth for female inmates exceeded that for males In each year since 1981. From 1980 to 1989, the male popula- tion increased by 112%, and the female population by 202%. * At yearend 1989, 549 men per 100,001 men in the resident population and 31 women per 100,000 women were serving a prison sentence of more than a year. * Among white and black non-Hispanic women and Hispanic women of all races, only the percentage of black, non-Hispanic women in the female Inmate population changed significantly, decreasing from 53% in 1979 to 46% in 1986. * An estimated 41% of the female inmates in 1986 were in prison for a violent offense, compared to 49% in 1979. Nearly half of March 1991 Across the Nation the number of women in prison has grown at a faster rate than that of men. In a year-to-year compari- son, the percentage of women is now the highest it has ever been, beginning with the first annual collection of prison statistics in 1926. This report describes the characteristics of women in State prisons in 1986. It provides a detailed profile of their crimi- nal histories, prior use of drugs, self- reported backgrounds of physical and sexual abuse, and the custodial situa- tions of their young children. The prime source of this report, the Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, was conducted in 1986 and will be repeated in the summer of 1991. Thanks to the superb cooperation of correctional personnel, this important undertaking will continue to be a national resource for addressing questions and concerns about offenders sentenced to prison. Steven D. Dillingham, Ph.D. Director the women in prison for a violent crime in 1986 were serving time for a homicide. * In 1986, 59% of the women in prison were sentenced for a nonviolent crime: 17% for fraud, 15% for larceny or theft, 12% for drug offenses, and 5% for public-order offenses such as commercial vice or weapons viola- tions. * More than two-thirds of the women in prison were recidivists - having previously been sentenced to probation or incarcera- tion as either a juvenile or an adult. Nearly half the women in prison (46%) had been previously sentenced to incarceration or probation at least twice; 31%, three or more times; and 13%, six or more times. * An estimated 89% of the women in State prisons in 1986 had a current conviction for a violent crime or an earlier sentence to probation or incarceration for any offense. * Women released from State prison in 1986 had served an average of 16 months. Those convicted of a violent offense had served an average of 27 months in prison, about twice as long as released property offenders (13 months) and drug offenders (14 months). * More than a third of the women serving time for a violent crime had victimized a rel- ative or intimate; about a fourth of the wo- men in prison for violence were convicted of the homicide of a relative or intimate. 9 A third of all female inmates reported that they were under the influence of a drug at the time of their offense; 39% said they were using drugs daily in the month before their offense, and 24% reported daily use of a major drug (cocaine, heroin, methadone, LSD, or PCP) in that month. * An estimated 41% of the women in prison reported that they had been previously sex- ually or physically abused. Women incar- cerated for a violent offense were the most likely to report having previously experi- enced physical or sexual abuse. Among women incarcerated for a violent crime, those who reported that they had been abused were more likely than other off end- ers to have victimized a relative or intimate. * More than three-fourths of the women in prison were mothers. Two-thirds of the female inmates had children under age 18. 0

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