Women in Prison
Between 1980 and 2019, the female incarcerated population increased by more than 700% according to a study conducted by The Sentencing Project. This is the result of particular policies that uniquely impact women, such as more expansive law enforcement efforts, stiffer drug sentencing laws and post-conviction barriers to reentry. The Equal Justice Initiative also reports that 60% of women in state prisons and nearly 80% of those in jail have children under the age of 18.
Most incarcerated mothers are single mothers who are solely responsible for their young children. These stories are by incarcerated women and their lived experience in prison and the criminal justice system.
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