In 2005, the number of women in prison in the United States grew at a rate of 2.6%, compared to growth of 1.9% for men. Women now make up 7% of the prison population, up from 6.1% in 1995. Since 1995, the number of women in prison has grown 57%, while the number of men in prison has grown 34%, BJS reported.
At year end 2004, over one million women were in criminal justice custody, either in prison or jail or on parole or on probation in the United States. Over 104,000 women were incarcerated in state or federal prisons – representing 7% of all inmates. (Georgia has the fourth largest population of incarcerated women in the United States… from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, United States Department of Justice, October 2005
According to the Center for Children of Incarcerated Parents, children of prisoners are five times more likely than other children to end up in prison.
Since 1991, the number of children with parents in prison has increased by more than 50%. With the incarcerated population growing at a rate of 5.7% annually, the number of children affected by their parents' incarceration will continue to increase.
The imprisonment of women continues to rise at a rate faster than that of men according to Prisoners 2005, a report published by the Department of Justice Statistics (BJS).
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Feb 7, 2007, 14:12
