Source: Famm.org
In the last three decades, the number of women in prison has increased by 700 percent, and the number of women in jail increased by 14 times.
Approximately 94 percent of female inmates in federal prisons have been convicted for nonviolent crimes, and approximately 63 percent in state prisons.
Most of those women – about 60 percent – are mothers. As a result, their children are left without a parent during crucial times in their lives, and might ultimately suffer profound psychological effects by being separated from their mothers.
Moreover, the majority of the population of incarcerated females is African-American.
Providing alternatives to jail and resources for women who are suffering from drug abuse and mental illness could help reunite families and could be a step toward necessary reform in the justice system.
Read full story at: Famm.org