Story at a glance
- A report found female inmates are treated discriminatorily when it comes to punishments.
- Female inmates, especially LGBTQ+ and women of color, are more likely to suffer severe punishments like solitary confinement for nonviolent infractions in prison.
- This further limits reentry into society and rehabilitation efforts for women who are often victimized.
Women in prison often face disproportionately harsher punishments for minor offenses compared to men in prison, according to a new study from the United States Commission on Civil Rights released Wednesday
The report also notes that prison officials and correctional staff tend to be trained inconsistently on the prevalence of harsher punishment for incarcerated women.
The reason for this is that the penal system is primarily designed to suit a male population and does not address female needs, such as health care or therapeutic interventions specific to the traumas and abuse women often face, the report asserts. This lack of specialization and the harsher punishments can also further marginalize women even when they’re leaving prison, the report further adds.
The Commission examined data showing an increase in incarcerated women in the U.S., with the rate of imprisoned women from 1980 to 2016 outpacing men at 730 percent compared to 410 percent, respectively.
The report then outlines the use of disciplinary measures in prison, citing a collaboration between National Public Radio (NPR) and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism that analyzed discipline data from 15 state correctional facilities.
Researchers found that women in prison, though less likely to behave violently in prison, “receive a disproportionate number of disciplinary tickets for lower level offenses.” Offenses like these include being disruptive or “insolent,” disobedience, cursing and altering prison clothing, according to the investigation’s findings.
The report also brought attention to LGBTQ+ inmates and incarcerated women of color, who also face disciplinary disparities compared to the cisgender and white female population. The report found that black women made up around 40 percent of those in solitary confinement, despite being 23 percent of women in prison. Using this data, the report authors found that black women were more than two times more likely than their white counterparts to endure solitary confinement.
Transgender women, especially transgender women of color, were found to be incarcerated at a higher rate.
Additionally, women with mental health issues face a lack of treatment options while in prison and are therefore subjected to increased disciplinary action, rule violations and physical altercations with other inmates. Researchers cited in the study found that punishment for these infractions, namely solitary confinement, show a strong correlation with self-harm and coping problems.
Catherine E. Lhamon, the chair of the U.S. Commission for Civil Rights, recommends that prison officials adopt better policies for female inmates, including access to female health care needs, increased family visiting time, counseling initiatives and less “harsh punishments for minor infractions,” as well as reducing the usage of solitary confinement.
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