Paper
Dee2019
WomenBehindBars.pptxWomen Behind Bars
Between 1980 and 2014, the number of incarcerated women increased by 700%
Rate for African American women: 109 per 100,000 (Declined by 47% since 2000)
Rate for white women: 53 per 100,000 (Inclined by 56% since 2000)
Global context:
The 25 jurisdictions worldwide that incarcerate women at the greatest rate are American states.
Special needs
Children
Mental health
Drug addiction
Healthcare (especially related to reproduction)
1 in 28 children have an incarcerated parent
1.1 million incarcerated men are fathers
When a mother goes to prison
25% of kids stay with their father
When a father is incarcerated, 90% of the kids stay with mom
50% stay with their grandmother
Incarcerated parents can lose rights because of the Adoption and Safe Families Act
Custody cannot exceed 15 of the last 22 months
Approx. 10 million children have experienced parental incarceration at some point in their lives
African American
1 in 9
11.4%
Hispanic
1 in 28
3.5%
White
1 in 58
1.8%
Approximately half of these children are under 10 years old
Approximately 10 million children have experienced parental incarceration at some point
About ½ of the children with incarcerated parents are under 10 years old
What sort of impact would parental incarceration have on a child?
Roughly 6% of women entering state and federal prisons are pregnant
Most states allow pregnant inmates to be shackled
Only 23 prohibit shackling during childbirth – some of those states allow it during transport
Dangers of shackling
Makes it more difficult to diagnose and treat complications
Increases pain in labor (being able to move, walk, shift, etc. reduces pain)
Can delay emergency procedures
Increases fall risk (the pregnant uterus shifts a woman’s center of gravity) and prohibits protecting the abdomen
Increases risk of postpartum hemorrhaging
Limits ability to breastfeed and bond
No state that has restricted shackling has reported: self harm, escape attempts, or harm to personnel
The u.S. has appx. 170 female prisons
Only 8 of them have nurseries.
