Women in the United States Prison System, Research Paper Example

There are more and more women in prison in the United States today. The number of women being incarcerated is growing each year and it is not stopping. As of 2006, there were more than 100,000 women in prisons throughout the United States. Since 2006, this number has grown to more than 200,000 women in prison (Kravitz, 2010). In addition, at the end of 2011, there were a total of 58 women on death row. This is about 1.8 percent of the total death row population and the numbers are still continuously increasing (Lawston, 2012). There is so much that our communities and citizens need to know about these women that have been incarcerated. There are many myths, many stereotypes, and many miscommunications as well as much that many do not know about these women. The literature on women in prison is scarce based on the literature on men in prison and it is important to discuss some of the important factors in relation to these women as well as provide a synthesis of the best counseling practices for women who have been incarcerated.

It is important not to stereotype. Black and Hispanic women are not the only women in prison. These women make up 133 per 100,000 and 77 per 100,000. White women are also in prison and have an imprisonment rate of 47 per 100,000 (Lawston, 2012).Yes, this is less than Blacks and Hispanics, but that does not mean that Black and Hispanic women are any worse than those of white women. In addition, an increasing amount of women that are incarcerated are migrant women that are usually from Central and South America. Therefore, it is important not to stereotype as many women of different ages, races, ages and backgrounds are incarcerated for many different reasons.

There are many reasons in which women are incarcerated. Contrary to what many may believe, many women are not incarcerated for violent crimes even though, at the end of 2010, about 1/3 of women in prison were there for violent crimes. Drug offenses were the largest source of growth for the women’s prison population. Property crimes are also a main reason for the incarceration of women. Approximately 56% of women were sentenced to prison for crimes such as drug or property crimes (Lawston, 2012). That is more than half of the women in prison. According to Lawston (2012), “a smaller number of women are incarcerated for killing their abusers in self-defense. Although detailed statistics on this type of crime are unavailable, estimates suggest that between 2,000 and 4,000 women are imprisoned for killing their abusers” (n.p.). It is important to understand this as there are many myths about female prisoners and many of them are not true. Most women, no matter their race or age, are in prison for something other than a violent crime in contrast to men.

One of the worst things women have to deal with in prison is inadequate health care. These women are not taken care of on a daily basis the way they should be. The physical and mental healthcare is extremely poor in prisons, especially for women. According to Lawston (2012), women have higher rates of infective diseases, respiratory and digestive system issues, and skin diseases that go untreated. Gynecological care is considered a specialty service so many do not get this care. This is extremely harmful to the women in prisons who are pregnant. These women frequently have children in shackles and receive little to no prenatal or postnatal care. In addition, many of the women in prisons are placed on psychotropic drugs, but are not given any opportunity to have counseling sessions in order to help them. Finally, many women are also more likely to harm themselves than men due to all of the above listed problems with the healthcare in female prisons (Lawston, 2012, n.p.).

Just like everyone else in society, prisoners need an education in order to grow, develop, learn, and gain access to specific things in life. Unfortunately, many female prisoners do not get this option. There is little to no education for women in prisons. According to Lawston (2012), inmates are about to receive their GED’s; however, the educational system does not go much further than that, especially for women. These women have fewer educational opportunities due to fewer facilities. Lawston (2012) states that women have high rates of dependency on drugs upon entering prison, but there are not any programs available in order to help them overcome the addictions which, in turn, end up hurting them. Finally, one of the largest important factors to be discussed in relation to education for these women is the relevance of educational programs in order to help these women transition back into society. Since women have fewer educational opportunities, it is far more difficult for them to transition back into society and be law-abiding citizens. They need an education (most of the time higher than a GED) in order to obtain jobs that will help them become better citizens after release. Unfortunately, this is not happening.

Another major disadvantage for women in the prison system is the amount of abuse they receive by staff and other prisoners. This abuse is physical, mental, emotional and psychological and hurts each woman in different ways. Before entering prison, over half the women in prison suffered domestic abuse and one in three have experienced sexual abuse. Not only does this alone hurt them, but imagine having to go through it all over again in prison. According to Lawston (2012), incarcerated women are subjected to routine searches, harassment, and sexual assault by staff on numerous occasions. Women spend the majority of their time in prison being raped, harassed, abused or threatened. Most importantly, women are less likely to admit injustices as a result of fear. This should not be the case in a place where they are supposed to be rehabilitated and helped. However, it has been happening for many centuries and nothing is being done about it.

Furthermore, stress and abuse levels are high for transsexual, transgendered, gender non-conforming, and gender variant prisoners. Transgendered or transsexual individuals are placed in facilities based on the gender listed on their birth certificates. Therefore, if a person identifies themselves as a female but are really male and vice versa, they will be put in the proper facility. This causes stress, violence, assault, and much more on the individual (Lawston, 2012). These are specific individuals that need a lot of help with counseling during their term of imprisonment in order to deal with their emotions and the many things that will happen and do happen to them in prison.

In addition, “the number of women giving birth in prisons has jumped significantly, and not all prison facilities are equipped or prepared to handle a growing baby population. In fact, only nine states in the United States have prison nursery programs in operation or under development” (Kravitz, 2010).Women and their children both suffer greatly from imprisonment. 66% of women in prison have dependent children under the age of 18. Many of these children do not get to know their mothers as they are taken from them and become wards of the state or are sent to foster homes and orphanages. Each year it is estimated that more than 17,700 children are separated from their mother by imprisonment. These are harsh numbers and their children live without mothers for many years if not their entire lives.

Finally, “though US crime rates have actually fallen in recent years, a law-and-order atmosphere and more jail time and longer sentences under mandatory minimums and three-strikes laws are keeping the prisons filled. The prison system is a key component of political repression, designed to keep a lid on growing social tensions resulting from unprecedented levels of social inequality in the US” (Watson, 2005).Unfortunately, mandatory minimum sentences and sentencing guidelines have been found to disproportionately target Black women. Clearly, this is discrimination, but many do not do anything about it. Many judges, however, do take into account the woman’s offense and decide their sentences based on that offense. However, the “war on crime” has made judges crack down on sentencing and many women are getting longer sentences for minor offenses. In this aspect, women do have an advantage over men. Judges normally take more into account for women such as children and the woman’s offense, but this does not mean they get off the hook for the crimes they commit. Many women are still being sentenced for petty crimes and are serving longer sentences (Smart Justice for Women, 2012).

Counseling for these women must take place in and outside of the prison walls. However, many are not sure what approach to take in helping these women become better citizens in our society. How about starting with the underlying reasons that got them arrested in the first place? According to Traci Schlesinger and Jodie Lawston (2011), “among women in the general population, 40% report experiencing physical abuse as children and 22% report experiencing violence from adult partners” (p. 2). Schlesinger and Lawston (2011) also state the following:

Moreover, although studies have found that 20% to 27% of women in the general population report child sexual molestation, between 31% and 48% of incarcerated women report childhood sexual abuse. Examining adult experiences of sexual assault studies have found that 23% to 27% of incarcerated women, as opposed to 17% of women in general population, have experienced sexual assault as adults. These findings suggest that the proportion of imprisoned women who have experienced sexual and physical violence as children and as adults is significantly and substantially higher than the proportion of non-imprisoned women who have had these experiences (p. 2).

This shows us that sexual and physical abuse plays a role in shaping women and how they react to certain things within their lives. With proper counseling that helps to work on these issues as well as uncover some of the hidden feelings, more and more women will begin to understand the reasons in which they do certain things that land them behind bars. At this point, if they choose to change the behavior and use the sessions constructively, they will no longer have to use violence to face the fears they hold deep inside. Counseling sessions that focus on their past as well as their future, with programs to help them transition back into society after release, is the best way in which to get in touch with these women. Even the use of counseling outside of the prison walls will help them become better citizens and will keep them on track. There should be programs within the system that allow for counseling while they are incarcerated and that allow them to continue treatment even after their release if they so choose. However, this is something that the prison officials have to put in place in order to create a better society.

In conclusion, it is clear to see that sexual, physical, emotional, verbal and mental abuse are leading causes for the ways in which female prisoners act. If they are still being mistreated, abused, assaulted, and raped in prison, nothing is ever going to change. They will continue to use violence as a way to protect themselves. If they continue to not be allowed educational programs, they will never be able to get jobs that allow them stability and profitability so they will continue to do and sell drugs, resulting in imprisonment yet again. If their children are not taken care of while they are in prison, they will come out with nothing to live for and may end up going back to their old ways. The disadvantages of female prisoners has to change to advantages in order for them to come out with new attitudes, willing to continue counseling (if it is offered), and to have a better life for themselves.

References

Kravitz, R. (2010). Women in prisons. President AlturaSolutions, Retrieved from http://www.corrections.com/news/article/23873-women-in-prisons

Lawston, J. (2012). Women and prison. Informally published manuscript, Department of Women’s Studies, California State University, San Marcos.

Schlesinger, T., & Lawston, J. (2011). Experiences of interpersonal violence and criminal legal control: A mixed method analysis. Sage Publications, 1-15. doi: 10.1177/2158244011419523 Smart justice for women. (2012, October).

Watson, D. (2005, November 5). Record numbers in us prisons. Retrieved from http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/nov2005/pris-n05.shtml