Incarcerated Women In Prison

1st Rough Draft The number of incarcerated women increased by more than 700%, between 1980 and 2014 (Carson 1). Prisons were made for men, so why are so many women going to prison? Women make up just 7% of the prison population (O’Brien 80). A little more than 4% of those offenders committed a nonviolent crime. Women are more likely to commit nonviolent crimes than men. Women who are alcohol and drug abusers could resolve their problems in rehabilitation centers or join recovery programs. Since women make up such a small population in the prison they are not always the biggest priority. “Women’s biological needs, family responsibilities and unique paths to prison combine to create incarceration experiences that are vastly different from

Prisons were designed for male inmates. Like what was already stated women make up only 7% of the prison population (O’Brien 80). Women make up such a small population. Their needs are not always met. Women have different biological needs that are sometimes forgotten. Washington state just recently put in place a new policy that recognized gender matters in things big and small. The women in this prison can now buy items that are specifically suited to their needs (Quattlebaum 77). So some women are getting some biological help but what about their emotional health? Women are different from men emotionally too. Deziel explains, that strip searches, supervised showers, and physical restriction of movement are normal prison protocols. These protocols can be traumatic experiences for women. Some women were abused before they entered prison so being treated like this triggers past abuses. Men and women are different. It’s pretty obvious. Women’s needs are not always met because prisons were made for

“Women’s most common pathways to crime involve survival efforts that result from abuse, poverty, and substance abuse” stated Quattlebaum (75). Many of the women who committed these crimes have metal disorders or abused during some point of their life. Prison will just mess with these women so they need to go to rehabilitation centers to resolve their drug issues. Rockefeller, New York’s Governor, saw drugs as a social problem, not a criminal one. He backed drug rehabilitation, housing, and job training. Several years after Rockefeller stated that he called for a mandatory prison sentence of 15 years for drug addicts and dealers. No one really understood what the law meant. Soon prosecutors in New York realized the law was doing unexpected and troubling things. The prisons were getting filled with first time offenders. Mann quotes Persico, “This was obviously unjust---and not just unjust, it was unwise; it was effective” (Mann 33-37). Rockefellers law is a perfect example of why not all drug abusers need to serve time. Many rehabilitation programs have been used at different prisons such as; Women in Recovery or Adult Redeploy. Sixty-eight percent of women who were involved with the “Women in Recovery” program completed it and had no further involvement with criminal justice systems (O’Brien 82). There are also halfway houses women can go to, to serve their time. Women should have the option to choose between rehabilitation or prison. It could