“A prison is not supposed to turn you back out to society with more harm than when you came in,” said Deborah LaBelle, an Ann Arbor civil rights lawyer. Sending women into an atmosphere like this is a bad idea because many are wrongfully taken advantage of daily by prison guards. The security and regulations of women inmates are improperly enforced violating the rights of many individuals. A major issue with women inmates is that many women are mothers, enter prison while pregnant, or become impregnated as a result of being raped during their sentence.
Male guards in prisons take advantage of their positions and the regulations, like frisking, to inappropriately touch the inmates. Frisking is to search the incarcerated individuals for weapons, drugs, or anything else that could be potentially hazardous (Elsner, Alan, Cross-Gender Prisoner Searches Are Abusive). The guards learned that they wouldn’t be punished for breaking the rules and as a result, took advantage of the opportunity. Most women are too afraid to stand up for themselves because they don’t know how to prove the wrongdoing of a security personnel. The guards should always have to follow the protocol that they are instructed to perform. If anyone violates the regulations, there should be consequences depending on the situation. Having more female security guards on the female sector of prisons would not be a bad idea because it would help to reduce the sexual abuse and they would be required to report any fowl activity by male guards (Seidel, Jeff. Female Prison Inmates Are Sexually Assaulted by Guards).
As a result of sexual abuse in prisons, twenty five percent of incarcerated women become impregnated during their sentence ("Fate of Pregnant Prisoners."). The...
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...." Ms. 18 (Fall 2008). Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 14 Aug. 2013.
• Elsner, Alan. "Cross-Gender Prisoner Searches Are Abusive." America's Prisons. Ed. Clare Hanrahan. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Jailed Women's Abuse Is National Scandal." Women's eNews. 2004. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 14 Aug. 2013.
• Summer, Nicole. “Women in Prisons are Sexually Vulnerable.” Crime and Criminals. Ed. Christina Fisanic. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. From “Powerless in Prison: Sexual Abuse Against Incarcerated Women.” RH Reality Check 11 Dec. 2007. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 19 Aug. 2013
• Siegal, Nina “Sexual Abuse of Women Inmates is Widespread.” How Should Prisons Treat Inmates. Ed. Kristen Bailey. San Diego: Greenhaven Press 2001. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web 19 Aug. 2013
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Statistically, the male population in jail/prisons are much higher than the female population. This is not necessarily because females are less inclined to criminal tendencies than males, but more because society views them more as victims and/or innocent. (Men Sentenced To Long…2012 p.2) From the time women are small until they grow up, they are told that they are fragile, kind, they should not curse, or fight, etc. There are countless sexist roles and behaviors that are pushed on women, and so society views women along side the typical view. In a statistical graph by the of Bureau of Justice Statistics states that the number of people incarcerated per 100,000 people of that sex is as follows: 126 women and 1,352 males. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2010. p.1) That is an incredible difference in the number of incarcerated individuals per jail/prison. Societal view with women is becoming more level headed today, and sentencing disparity on the gender platform is coming to a more equal level; however, it is still a long way away from being equal. According to an article in the Huffington
In fact, one of the most leading violence in the prison setting is sexual victimization. It involves different behaviors from sexually abusive contact to nonconsensual sexual assault. These assaults present bigger issues within the prison such as being exposed to sexually transmitted diseases like HIV, causing the inmate to retaliate, depression and suicidal gestures. (Wolf, N, 2006) In 2011, a random sample of not less than 10% of all federal, state prisons, county prisons, and municipal prisons in America was drawn. At the end of the annual sample, 8,763 allegations of sexual victimization were reported by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. (Roberts, N., 2014) As stated, this only included 10% percent of the prison excluding the other 90 % of prisons in America. In 2009, 7,855 allegations were filed and in 2010, 8,404 with 51 percent involving nonconsensual sex acts or abusive contact amongst inmates. The other 49% involved prison staff that resulted in sexual misconduct and sexual harassment. In 2012, the Department of Justice estimated that about 1 in 10 inmates were sexually assaulted by officers with high expectation that it would only continue to increase. (Roberts, N.,
and Sexuality in US Prisons." Critical Survey 23, no. 3: 55-66. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost. doi:10.3167/cs.2011.230305
According to statistics from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, of the 455 criminals on death row in the state only 7 of them are women . This should tip us off to the manner in which we treat female criminals, even in the most pro-death penalty state in the country. Overall, women account for one in eight of people arrested for murder in America, but this ratio sinks to only one in seventy people currently on death row . This discrepancy must be a direct result of something, and is most probably attributed to society’s perception of women that place these female criminals as women first, killers second. “It’s a reflection of society’s view that women are less prone to evil than men are”, claims Jenni Gainsborough of the ACLU National Prison Project. We also seem to feel sorrier for women than we do men, and assume that if a woman has committed a crime it is because she has faced abuse in the past (usually inflicted by a man). This is true to some extent as it is claimed that 95% of women in prison were victims of abuse , but the point is that we generally stress the importance of female abuse while oftentimes neglecting abuse endured by their male counterparts.
Women in Prison. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics Varnam, Steve. Our prisons are a crime (reforming the prison system). Editorial. Christianity Today 21 June 1993
Erin G., 2010, A Woman Doing Life: Notes from a Prison for Women: The Southwest Journal of Criminal Justice. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Pp. vi, 202, Vol. 8(2)175.
According to Dumond (2003), “ rape among weak and susceptible prison inmates is currently one of the most psychologically tormenting crimes committed in prison which usually goes unnoticed, unattended and are usually not prosecuted.” Unfortunately, the issue of rape among inmates still continues and is currently facing a counter attack by legislation. Furthermore, Dumond (2003) indicates, “the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 was enacted to provide relief and hopefully reduce and eliminate the incidence of rape in prison.”
Almost all prisons face the mass problem of rape. Approximately 15.7% of inmates are raped in federal prisons. The percentage is raised in juvenile delinquent centers to 20%. Little has been done by government or prison wards to stop rapists inside of prisons. Attorney General Holder recently put extreme limitations on reports of prison rape. Annually, there are 200,000 reported victims of prison rape. However, experts and researches believe there
In 2012, the total number of inmates incarcerated in the state and federal correctional system for was 1,571,013, of which 108,866 of those inmates were females. In the last two decades, until 2009, women were the fastest growing population within the state and federal correctional institutions. Since 2009, the number of inmates incarcerated in state and federal correctional facilities has slowly declined mainly due to public policy changes in both state and federal laws. California accounted for fifty one percent of the decrease in the overall population due to the Public Safety Realignment policy that mandated a decrease in the inmate population to alleviate overcrowding; this led to a 25.5 percent decrease in the female population in California alone. (Carson & Golinelli, 2013)
Why do females commit crimes? Female’s percentages in jails and prisons have increase in the recent years. This has led to our society being concern of female crimes and how they affect us. This paper will discuss female inmates and some of the legal and social problems they face in the criminal justice system.