Women, Prison, and Sexual Assault

887 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The american prison system essay

Assessing the consequences of our country’s soaring imprison rates has less to do with the question of guilt versus innocence than it does with the question of who among us truly deserves to go to prison and face the restrictive and sometimes brutally repressive conditions found there. We are adding more than one thousand prisoners to our prison and jail systems every single week. The number of women in prisons and jails has reached a sad new milestone. As women become entangled with the war on drugs, the number in prison has increased if not double the rate of incarceration for men. The impact of their incarceration devastates thousands of children, who lose their primary caregiver when Mom goes to prison.

Statistics are invaluable for students like me, when we have to prove what we are talking about, what we are talking about is not about anecdotal information or the observation of trends. When it comes to prisons, statistics have become their own version of a double-edged sword. Why, the numbers distorted, when it comes to women who are incarcerated for violent crime and the disparity of reducing the sentences or equal treatment since the reality of the economic needs and the fact that women are more likely to be victimized prior to their offense. For instance, most female offenders are less likely to have high paying jobs therefore; bail for even menial crimes is harder to pay for females, especially, if they are the primary caregiver of a child. Food, clothing, diapers which is more important that or bail?

Women in prison need to rehabilitate which involves or should foster relationships, men on the other hand need vocation, but when it comes to establishing goals for gender specifics sentencing there is...

... middle of paper ...

... mention the health risks of not having protection, when you consider that females were participating in ninety percent of the occurrences of sexual crimes by personnel is it no wonder our institutions incidences are epidemic.

Works Cited

Foster, B. (2006). Corrections; The Fundamentals. Upper Saddle River: Pearson.

Grimm, A. (2013, June 07). High rate of sexual assault at Joliet youth prison, survey finds. Chicago, Illinios, United States.

Person, D. (2012, June 26). Column: Nightmare of prison rape. Retrieved November 22, 2013, from USA Today: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/story/2012-06-26/prison-rape-sexual-assault/55844922/1

Sanders, E., & Donifon, R. (2011). Children of Incarcerated Parents. Cornell University: Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Simmons, C. W. (2000). Children of Incarcerated Parents. California Research Bureau, 1-11.

Show More
Related

  • Children of Incarcerated Parents

    1829 Words  | 4 Pages

    Gabel, Katherine & Johnston, Denise. (1995). Children of Incarcerated Parents. New York, N.Y.: Lexington Books.

    Read More

  • Gender Politics in the US Criminal Justice System

    1723 Words  | 4 Pages

    The state of women in the United States criminal justice system, an apparently fair organization of integrity and justice, is a perfect example of a seemingly equal situation, which turns out to be anything but. While the policies imposed in the criminal justice system have an effect on all Americans, they affect men and women in extremely dissimilar manners. By looking at the United States' history of females in the criminal justice system, the social manipulation of these females and the everlasting affects that incarceration have on all women, both in and out of prison, this essay will explore the use of the criminal justice system as simply another form of control from which there is no hope of escape. This system of control then leads to the examination of the everlasting, yet never successful, female struggle to balance the private sphere of domesticity with the public sphere of society and the criminal justice system's attempt to keep women within the boundaries of the private.

    Read More

  • Effects Of Incarceration

    1316 Words  | 3 Pages

    Harris, H. (2017, March). The Prison Dilemma: Ending America's Incarceration Epidemic. Foreign Affairs, pp. 118-129.

    Read More

  • Women In Prison Essay

    1718 Words  | 4 Pages

    The main issue of this proposal that must be taken in consideration is that many critics argue that men become ignored by feminism and that the argument for non-custodial sentences is feminist exceptionalism at work (Reed, 2013). Many argue that attempting to keep only women out of prison could be seen as sexist towards men and not about equality. However, it is important that equality is understood as not about treating everyone the same, but about treating everyone in such a way that the outcome for both men and women can be the same (Corston, 2007). Consequently, catering to everyone’s individual needs and preventing them from a life of

    Read More

  • Racial Inequalities in the Justice System

    1738 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to statistics since the early 1970’s there has been a 500% increase in the number of people being incarcerated with an average total of 2.2 million people behind bars. The increase in rate of people being incarcerated has also brought about an increasingly disproportionate racial composition. The jails and prisons have a high rate of African Americans incarcerated with an average of 900,000 out of the 2.2 million incarcerateed being African American. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics 1 in 6 African American males has been incarcerated at some point in time as of the year 2001. In theory if this trend continues it is estimated that about 1 in 3 black males being born can be expected to spend time in prison and some point in his life. One in nine African American males between the ages of 25 and 29 are currently incarcerated. Although the rate of imprisonment for women is considerably lower than males African American women are incarc...

    Read More

  • Alternatives to Incarceration

    1196 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is undeniable that mass incarceration devastates families, and disproportionately affects those which are poor. When examining the crimes that bring individuals into the prison system, it is clear that there is often a pre-existing pattern of hardship, addiction, or mental illness in offenders’ lives. The children of the incarcerated are then victimized by the removal of those who care for them and a system which plants more obstacles than imaginable on the path to responsible rehabilitation. Sometimes, those returned to the community are “worse off” after a period of confinement than when they entered. For county jails, the problem of cost and recidivism are exacerbated by budgetary constraints and various state mandates. Due to the inability of incarceration to satisfy long-term criminal justice objectives and the very high expenditures associated with the sanction, policy makers at various levels of government have sought to identify appropriate alternatives(Luna-Firebaugh, 2003, p.51-66).

    Read More

  • Prison Programs For Families of Incarcerated Persons

    1697 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hairston, C., & Lockett, P. (1987). Parents in Prison: New Directions for Social Services. Social Work , 162-164.

    Read More

  • Racial Disparities In Criminal Justice Essay

    1155 Words  | 3 Pages

    Men represent eight hundred ninety-six out of every one hundred thousand prison inmates, while women represent only fifty-six out of one hundred thousand. The rates have increased eight hundred percent since the war on drugs was initiated. Even among women prisoners, racial disparities are glaring. Hispanic and African American women have astronomically higher chances of incarceration than white women. Women are also more likely to be arrested for drug and economic crimes, such as possession or embezzlement (McGrath, 10/29). According to the chivalry hypothesis, the low rates of prosecuted female offenders reflect the leniency with which law enforcement treats women offenders (McGrath, 10/29). Gender differences in aggression and empathy play into the public perception of the ideal offender, and women do not fit the profile. Rather than applying the law equally across genders, police buy into the socially constructed view of women: meek, gentle, caring, empathic, and definitely not capable of cruel criminality (McGrath,

    Read More

  • Death Row and Women

    1380 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Is Parole Ineffective of Effective in Curbing Recidivism?

    2253 Words  | 5 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Problems with the American Prison System

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    Overcrowding in our state and federal jails today has become a big issue. Back in the 20th century, prison rates in the U.S were fairly low. During the years later due to economic and political factors, that rate began to rise. According to the Bureau of justice statistics, the amount of people in prison went from 139 per 100,000 inmates to 502 per 100,000 inmates from 1980 to 2009. That is nearly 261%. Over 2.1 million Americans are incarcerated and 7.2 million are either incarcerated or under parole. According to these statistics, the U.S has 25% of the world’s prisoners. (Rick Wilson pg.1) Our prison systems simply have too many people. To try and help fix this problem, there needs to be shorter sentences for smaller crimes. Based on the many people in jail at the moment, funding for prison has dropped tremendously.

    Read More

  • Parental Incarceration

    389 Words  | 1 Pages

    Krisberg, B. A. & Temin, C. E. (2001). The plight of children whose parents are in prison. National Council on Crime Delinquency. Available:F:USERSEveryoneWEBSITE ARTICLESChildren of Incarcerated Parents Newsletter.wpd

    Read More

  • Incarcerated Parents and Their Children

    2288 Words  | 5 Pages

    The challenges of children who grow up with parents whom were incarcerated at some point in their childhood can have a major effect on their life. The incarceration of parents can at times begin to affect the child even at birth. Now with prison nurseries the impregnated mother can keep her baby during her time in jail. With the loss of their parent the child can begin to develop behavioral problems with being obedient, temper tantrums, and the loss of simple social skills. Never learning to live in a society they are deprived of a normal social life. “The enormous increase incarceration led to a parallel, but far less documented, increase in the proportion of children who grew up with a parent incarcerated during their childhood” (Johnson 2007). This means the consequences of the children of the incarcerated parents receive no attention from the media, or academic research. The academic research done in this paper is to strengthen the research already worked by many other people. The impact of the parent’s incarceration on these children can at times be both positive and negative. The incarceration of a parent can be the upshot to the change of child’s everyday life, behavioral problems, and depriving them a normal social life.

    Read More

  • Essay On Family Incarceration

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    Parental incarceration can affect many aspects of a child’s life, including emotional and behavioral well-being, family stability and financial circumstances. The growing number of children with an incarcerated parent represents one of the most significant collateral consequences of the record prison population in the U.S. Children who have an incarcerated parent require support from local, state, and federal systems to serve their needs. Kids pay both the apparent and hidden costs while their loved one serves out sentences in jail or prison.

    Read More

  • Ethical Issues Of Juvenile Incarceration

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    A large burden is placed on families when youth are incarcerated. There is not only the pain of being separated, but it also prevents families from being involved in the juvenile’s life, which is a barrier to the child’s recovery, future, and

    Read More

More about Women, Prison, and Sexual Assault

Open Document