Subject: Women in Prison WOMEN IN PRISON United States Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report Women in Prison, March 1991 NCJ-127991 Full text with tables available from: BJS Justice Statistics Clearinghouse 1-800-732-3277 Box 6000 Rockville, MD 10850 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Across the Nation the number of women in prison has grown at a faster rate than that of men. In a year-to-year comparison, the percentage of women is now the highest it has ever been, beginning with the first annual collection of prison statistics in 1926. This report describes the characteristics of women in State prisons in 1986. It provides a detailed profile of their criminal histories, prior use of drugs, self-reported backgrounds of physical and sexual abuse, and the custodial situations of their young children. The prime source of this report, the Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, was conducted in 1986 and will be repeated in the summer of 1991. Thanks to the superb cooperation of correctional personnel, this important undertaking will continue to be a national resource for addressing questions and concerns about offenders sentenced to prison. Steven D. Dillingham, Ph.D. Director ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WOMEN IN PRISON By Lawrence A. Greenfeld and Stephanie Minor-Harper BJS Statisticians The number of women under the jurisdiction of State and Federal prison authorities at yearend 1989 reached a record 40,556. Although the female inmate population had grown by more than 27,000 since 1980, an increase of over 200%, females still comprised a relatively small segment of the prison population - 5.7% at yearend 1989. This report, based primarily on the 1986 Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, describes women in State prisons - their characteristics as a group, their criminal history, and their past drug use. Survey respondents in 1986 are compared to those surveyed in 1979 to gain an overview of the changes in the female prison population. Specific findings include the following: - The rate of growth for female inmates exceeded that for males in each year since 1981. From 1980 to 1989, the male population increased by 112%, and the female population, by 202%. - At yearend 1989, 549 men per 100,000 men in the resident population and 31 women per 100,000 women were serving a prison sentence of more than a year - Among white and black non-Hispanic women and Hispanic women of all races, only the percentage of black, non-Hispanic women in the female inmate population changed significantly, decreasing from 53% in 1979 to 46% in 1986. - An estimated 41% of the female inmates in 1986 were in prison for a violent offense, compared to 49% in 1979. Nearly half of the women in prison for a violent crime in 1986 were serving time for a homicide. - In 1986, 59% of the women in prison were sentenced for a nonviolent crime: 17% for fraud, 15% for larceny or theft, 12% for drug offenses, and 5% for public-order offenses such as commercial vice or weapons violations. - More than two-thirds of the women in prison were recidivists - having previously been sentenced to probation or incarceration as either a juvenile or an adult. Nearly half the women in prison (46%) had been previously sentenced to incarceration or probation at least twice; 31%, three or more times; and 13%, six or more times. - An estimated 89% of the women in State prisons in 1986 had a current conviction for a violent crime or an earlier sentence to probation or incarceration for any offense. - Women released from State prison in 1986 had served an average of 16 months. Those convicted of a violent offense had served an average of 27 months in prison, about twice as long as released property offenders (13 months) and drug offenders (14 months). - More than a third of the women serving time for a violent crime had victimized a relative or intimate; about a fourth of the women in prison for violence were convicted of the homicide of a relative or intimate. - A third of all female inmates reported that they were under the influence of a drug at the time of their offense; 39% said they were using drugs daily in the month before their offense, and 24% reported daily use of a major drug (cocaine, heroin, methadone, LSD, or PCP) in that month. - An estimated 41% of the women in prison reported that they had been previously sexually or physically abused. Women incarcerated for a violent offense were the most likely to report having previously experienced physical or sexual abuse. Among women incarcerated for a violent crime, those who reported that they had been abused were more likely than other offenders to have victimized a relative or intimate. - More than three-fourths of the women in prison were mothers. Two- thirds of these inmates had children under age 18. Surveys of State Prison Inmates National surveys of inmates in State correctional facilities were conducted in 1974, 1979, and 1986 under the sponsorship of the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The Bureau of the Census carried out the interviews and collected the data. In each survey a nationally representative sample of inmates responded to questions about personal background, employment, criminal history, and drug or alcohol use. The sampling procedures selected women at a higher rate than men. In the 1979 survey, 2,255 women were interviewed out of the nationwide total of 11,080 women in State prisons, about 1 in 5 of those incarcerated. The 1986 survey entailed 3,093 interviews, representing 19,812 women or about 1 out of every 6 female inmates in the Nation. Female Prisoner Characteristics The female inmate population changed only slightly in its characteristics from 1979 to 1986. The 1986 population had similar percentages of whites (40% in 1986 and 37% in 1979) and of Hispanics (12% and 8%). The percentage of black women decreased from 53% in 1979 to 46% in 1986. The percentage of never-married women increased from 36% to 42%. Men and women serving time in State prisons in 1986 were similar on most characteristics except marital status and prearrest employment. Female inmates were more likely than their male counterparts to have ever been married (58% versus 46%). Women were less likely than men to be working in the month before their arrest. Less than half the women were working,compared to nearly three-fourths of the men. About a third of the women in prison were unemployed and not looking for work. Commitment Offense As with other characteristics of female prisoners, the percentage of women serving time for certain offenses in 1986 changed little from the offense distribution of 1979. The percentage of women serving time for a violent offense in 1986 (41%) was lower than it had been in 1979 (49%). (Inmates were questioned about all current ofenses for which they were serving time. When multiple offenses were reported, the offense carrying the longest sentence was considered to be the most serious offense that classified the inmate.) The percentage of property and drug offenders increased slightly between the two surveys. However, in 1979 and 1986, three-fourths of the women in prison were convicted of one of five crimes - homicide, fraud, larceny, robbery, or a drug offense. Violent Female Offenders and Their Victims Violent female offenders were more likely to have victimized a male (61.4%) than violent male offenders were to have victimized a female (52.7%). (See Violent State Prisoners and their Victims, BJS Special Report, NCJ-124133, July 1990.) Female inmates serving time for a violent offense were also more likely than male violent offenders to report that they had had a close relationship with their victim. An estimated 37% of women inmates reported that the victim of their violence had been a relative or intimate. Among these offenders, two- thirds had victimized either their spouse or a family member such as a sibling or their own child. By contrast, less than 17% of male inmates reported that the victim had been a relative or intimate. Male inmates were more likely than female inmates to have victimized a stranger (60% and 37% respectively). About equal percentages of males (24%) and females (26%) incarcerated for violence reported that the victim had been a well-known or casual acquaintance. Aside from the differences between male and female violent offenders in the percentages serving time for sexual assault, the largest difference between them was for the homicide of a relative or intimate. While less than 6% of males were serving a sentence for the homicide of a relative or intimate, more than 25% of female violent offenders had killed a family member, ex-spouse, or other intimate. Criminal History An estimated 43% of the surveyed women in prison in 1986 had a pre- existing criminal justice status at the time of their admission: - 27% had been on probation; - 15% had been on parole; and, - less than 2% had been escapees. The remainder (57%) had no reported criminal justice status at the time of prison admission. Overall, an estimated 31% of the females serving time in State prisons in 1986 reported that they had no prior sentences to probation, jail, youth confinement facilities, or prison. By contrast, an estimated 18% of male prisoners were serving their first conviction sentence. Male inmates (36%) were about twice as likely as female inmates (18%) to have had prior convictions in both juvenile and adult courts. About 1 in 8 female prisoners had at least six prior convictions, compared to nearly 1 in 5 male prisoners. The self- reported criminal histories reveal that about 8% of female prisoners and nearly 21% of male prisoners were serving a sentence for a violent offense and had been previously convicted of a violent offense. Overall, about two-thirds of the women and three-quarters of the men serving their first conviction sentences entered prison for a violent offense. An estimated 89% of women and 95% of men in State prisons in 1986 had a current conviction for a violent crime, a prior conviction for a violent crime, or prior convictions that resulted in sentences to probation, jail, youth confinement facilities, or prison. Sentence Length and Time Served In 1986, data on sentence length for prison admissions and time served by prison releases were obtained from 38 States and the District of Columbia under the National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP). Individual-level NCRP data on female admissions and releases for 1986 provide information about sentence length and time served for an estimated three-quarters of the new court commitments to prison and first releases from prison in the 50 States and the District of Columbia. (See National Corrections Reporting Program, 1986, BJS, forthcoming. Also see National Corrections Reporting Program, 1985, BJS, NCJ-123522, December 1990.) In 1986 property offenders accounted for the largest percentage of both women and men entering prison; however, a smaller percentage of women than men were sentenced for a violent crime and a larger percentage were sentenced for a drug offense. Percent of State Prison Admissions, 1986 Offense Female Male --------------------------------- Total 100.0% 100.0% Violent 23.2 34.3 Property 48.0 40.5 Drug 21.5 15.9 Public-order 6.0 8.0 Female new court commitments had an average (mean) of 66 months for their maximum sentence, according to the NCRP. The average sentence for women convicted of a violent offense (108 months) was twice as long as for those convicted of either a property (53 months) or drug (54 months) offense. Women convicted of murder (including nonnegligent manslaughter) received the longest sentences, with an average of just over 16 1/2 years. The average time served by female first releases from prison in 1986 was 16 months, excluding time spent in jail which may have been credited against their sentences. (A first release is defined as the first discharge from prison on a particular sentence. It excludes persons returned as violators of parole or conditional release and subsequently released again.) Violent offenders served an average of 27 months, about twice as long as either property or drug offenders. Those convicted of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter had served an average of 42 months; those convicted of kidnaping, 38 months; and of negligent manslaughter, 27 months. Among property offenders the mean time served was longest for arson (16 months) and burglary and stolen property (each 14 months). Released drug traffickers had spent an average of 17 months in prison, while those convicted of possession of illegal drugs had an average of 6 months less. Drugs and Crime Over the 1980's the number of arrests of women for drug violations increased at about twice the rate of men. Between 1980 and 1989, there was a 307% increase in the number of women arrested for drug crimes, including possession, manufacturing, or sale of illegal drugs. Over the same period, arrests of men for drug violations increased 147%. While women accounted for less than 11% of the adults arrested for drug violations in 1980, they accounted for 20% of the increase in drug arrests between 1980 and 1989. In both the 1979 and the 1986 Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, the percentage of women in prison for a drug offense exceeded that of men. (See Profile of State Prison Inmates, 1986, BJS Special Report, NCJ-109926, January 1988.) >From 1983 to 1986 in the NCRP, a larger percentage of female new court commitments than of male new court commitments entered prison each year for drug offenses. Drug Use by Women Prior to Imprisonment An estimated 72% of the women in State prisons in 1986 had used drugs at some time in their lives prior to admission. Among male prisoners, about 80% had previously used drugs. About equal percentages of men (52%) and women (54%) reported prior use of a major drug such as heroin, methadone, cocaine, PCP, or LSD. Nearly a quarter of the women in prison were daily users of one of these major drugs in the month before the offense for which they were serving time. Among the major drugs, women were more likely than men to have been using heroin or cocaine in the month before the offense for which they were serving time in 1986. Daily use of such drugs in that month was also higher among women than men. Conversely, men were more likely than women to have been using other drugs, particularly marijuana, in the month preceeding the commitment offense. Just as with their use of major drugs in the month before the offense, women were more likely than men to report having been under the influence of major drugs at the time they committed the crime. Approximately 13% of the women and 7% of the men indicated that they had been under the influence of heroin at the time of the offense. Cocaine usage at the time of the offense was also slightly higher for women (13%) than for men (11%). Women also described their use of alcohol in combination with drugs at the time of the offense. Overall, just under half of the women in prison (46%) had been using drugs or alcohol or both at the time the imprisonment offense occurred. A third of the women in prison had participated previously in a drug treatment program at some point in their lives. About half the women who had received drug treatment had participated in such programs more than once. Program Percent of inmates Participation Female Male ------------------------------------------------ Ever participate in drug treatment program 32.8% 29.1% Times in treatment Once 17.1 17.6 Twice 7.5 6.5 3-5 6.3 4.2 6 or more 1.9 .9 Physical and Sexual Abuse An estimated 41% of the women in prison reported that they had been either physically or sexually abused at some time in their lives before their current imprisonment. About a quarter of the women had been physically or sexually abused by an adult before age 18 and about a quarter had been abused since age 18. An estimated 22% of the women in prison in 1986 said they had been sexually abused prior to the age of 18. An estimated 23% of the female inmates reported having been physically abused since age 18. Women who were serving time for a violent offense were the most likely of the prisoners to report having experienced prior physical or sexual abuse. Women who were imprisoned for a violent offense and who reorted having ever been physically or sexually abused were more likely to be serving time for violence against a relative or intimate. An estimated 40% of the women reporting prior abuse said that their violent crime had been committed against a relative, ex-spouse, or an intimate. Among violent women who were not abused, 28% reported that their victim had been a family member or intimate. Among female offenders who reported that they had been physically or sexually abused as a child or adult, 32% were serving time for the homicide of a relative or intimate, compared to 19% of the violent women who had never suffered such abuse. Mothers in Prison More than 76% of the women in prison had children, compared to about 60% of the male inmates. The more than 15,000 women who reported having had children had an estimated total of 37,600 children. About 88% of the female inmates who reported having children indicated that one or more of the children were under age 18. Nearly 4 out of 5 mothers with children under age 18 reported that they had lived with the child or children before entering prison. By contrast, about half the male inmates with children under age 18 reported that they had lived with their child or children. Fifty-three percent of the mothers in prison with at least one child under age 18 reported that one or more of their children were living with a grandparent - most often a maternal grandparent. Twenty-two percent of the mothers said that their children were living with the father, and another 22% reported the children to be living with other relatives. A tenth of the mothers indicated that their child or children were in foster care or some other institutional setting. Nearly 90% of male inmates with young children reported that their child or children were living with the mother. Twenty-eight percent of the women who had one or more children under age 18 and who were living with their children before prison reported that a court had placed the child or children in the legal custody of others since their admission to prison. An estimated 85% of the women indicated that they intended to live with their young child or children after release. Recent Growth in the Female Offender Population Women accounted for about 12% of the nearly 4.1 million adults in the care or custody of corrections agencies at the end of 1989. Among the approximately half million women, about 84% were under supervision in the community by probation (78%) or parole (6%) agencies, and the remainder were held in local jails (8%) or in State or Federal prisons (8%). The number of men in the care or custody of corrections agencies was about 7 times larger than the number of women. An estimated 71% of the men under correctional jurisdiction were being supervised in the community. At yearend 1989 a record 40,556 women were incarcerated In State and Federal prisons (table A). These facilities had added almost 8,000 women during the year. The 24% increase for 1989 brought the total growth of the female prison population since 1980 to 27,136, an increase of 202%. The percentage increase in the female prison population was higher than the increase in the male population each year between 1980 and 1989. Although the number of men had increased more than 353,000 after 1980, the rate of increase in the number of male prisoners (112%) was about half that of women (202%). At yearend 1989 women accounted for 5.7% of the Nation's prisoners, the highest percentage since the collection of annual data began in 1926. The growth in the number of male and female prisoners is also reflected in the overall rate of incarceration - defined as the number of sentenced prisoners (those sentenced to more than 1 year) per 100,000 residents. From 1980 to 1989 the incarceration rate nearly doubled, from 146 sentenced prisoners per 100,000 residents to 283 sentenced prisoners per 100,000. During this period the rate for women increased by 158%, from 12 to 31 sentenced prisoners per 100,000 female residents; the rate for men increased by 91%, from 287 to 549 per 100,000 male residents. The number of offenders committed to prison per 100,000 persons increased from 81 to 162, a 100%-increase between 1980 and 1989 (table B). The increase for women (200%) was twice that for men (92%). The recent growth in the number of women in prison has been accompanied by changes in two other measures: the rate of arrest of women for selected serious crimes and the rate of incarceration of women convicted of selected serious offenses per 1,000 arrests of women for such offenses. Adult arrests for murder, nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and burglary altogether increased 35%, from more than 666,000 arrests in 1980 to more than 897,000 in 1989. The number of women arrested increased nearly 72%, more than double the increase in arrests of men (31%). In 1980 there were 197 admissions of men and women to State prison for every 1,000 arrests for selected serious crimes. By 1989 that rate had increased to 332 admissions per 1,000 arrests. During this period the rate of commitments of women per 1,000 arrests of women for selected serious crimes increased 100% from 136 to 272. For men the increase was 67% from 203 to 339. Table A. State and Federal Prison Populations and Incarceration Rates, by Sex, 1980-89 Number of inmates Percent Inmates Incarceration rate* Year Female Male Female Total Female Male ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1980 13,420 316,401 4.1% 146 12 287 1981 15,537 354,393 4.2 161 13 318 1982 17,785 396,021 4.3 178 15 351 1983 19,020 417,835 4.4 186 16 367 1984 20,798 441,208 4.5 185 17 384 1985 23,148 479,359 4.6 210 19 380 1986 26,531 518,441 4.9 226 21 442 1987 29,123 555,961 5.0 240 23 469 1988 32,592 594,996 5.2 255 26 497 1989 40,556 669,498 5.7 283 31 549 Percent change 1980-89 202.2% 111.6% +93.8% +158.3% +91.3% ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *The number of inmates with sentences of more than 1 year per 100,000 residents. Table B. State Prison Admission Rates, Relative to the Number of Adult Arrests for Selected Serious Offenses, by Sex, 1980 and 1989 Number of State Estimated Number State Prison Admissions Prison Admissions of Adult Arrests per 1,000 Adult Arrests per 100,000 Adult for Selected Serious for Selected Serious Residents1 Offenses2 Offenses 1980 1989 %change 1980 1989 %change 1980 1989 %change ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. total 81 162 100.0% 666,199 897,250 34.6% 197 332 68.5% Male 160 308 92.5% 610,710 802,043 31.3% 203 339 67.0% Female 9 27 200.0% 55,375 95,209 71.9% 136 272 100.0% ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Note: Selected offenses are murder, nonnegligient manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and burglary. 1State prison admissions refer to the number of persons received from courts with sentences of more than 1 year. 2The total number of arrests for the selected offenses was estimated by multiplying the estimated total number of arrests by the percentage of known arrests of persons age 18 or older and by the percentage of known adult arrests for males and females, as reported annually by the FBI. How to Order the Data Sets Data used in this report are available from the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data at the University of Michigan, P.O. Box 1248, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, 1-800-999-0960. The data sets are archived as Survey of Inmates of State Correctional Facilities (1979, ICPSR 7856 and 1986, ICPSR 8711). Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Reports are prepared principally by BJS staff. This report was written by Lawrence A. Greenfeld, corrections unit chief, and Stephanie Minor-Harper, a former BJS statistician. It was edited by Thomas Hester. Lallis A. Cotton provided statistical assistance. Marilyn Marbrook publications unit chief, administered production, assisted by Lallis A. Cotton, Yvonne Boston, and Jayne Pugh. March 1990, NCJ-127991 The Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, coordinates the activities of the following program offices and bureaus: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Institute of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and Office for Victims of Crime.