Prisons for Women in the United States
Types of Prisons Prisons for Women
Introduction to Prisons for Women
The vast majority of female prisoners in the United States are held in women-only facilities. About one-fifth of all female inmates are housed in co-ed facilities-that is, prisons that accommodate both male and female offenders. Interaction between male and female inmates at coed prisons is minimal and men and women share only certain vocational, technical, or educational resources and recreational facilities. Female inmates are housed in units that are entirely separate from units for male inmates during evening hours.
The first U.S. prison exclusively for women, known as the Mount Pleasant Female Prison, was established in 1837 in Ossining, New York. Because there were few female criminals and housing them in predominantly male facilities cost less than building prisons exclusively for women, subsequent construction of women’s prisons proceeded slowly; only 17 were constructed between 1873 and 1940. Roughly 20 more were built between 1940 and 1979. During the 1980s and 1990s, more than 75 women’s prisons-representing more than two-thirds of the total number of such institutions-have been constructed in the United States. United States facilities exclusively for female inmates include the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor, Washington, and the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee, Minnesota.
Some experts refer to female prisoners as the “forgotten offenders” because correctional institutions and state and federal lawmakers have primarily focused on the male inmate population. Governments have provided few facilities and minimal services for female inmates. For instance, women have not had access to various rehabilitation programs that have been available to male offenders, such as job training and psychological counseling. However, in recent years, favorable court rulings and general policy changes in state and federal corrections in the United States have improved conditions for women inmates somewhat. The number of women-only prisons and the types of rehabilitation programs have expanded greatly. Despite these achievements, most prisons in the United States remain dominated by policies and services targeted to male offenders. The American Correctional Association, a national organization of criminal justice professionals, recommends that prisons establish a parity of services for male and female offenders. Recommended programs for female inmates include child and family services, support for pregnant women, career counseling, vocational training for jobs not traditionally held by women, and a full range of probation and parole programs.
In 1999 Amnesty International, a private human rights organization, issued a report expressing concerns about the treatment of female inmates in U.S. prisons. The organization reported widespread complaints of sexual abuse and rape and criticized the practice of allowing male officers to supervise female inmates. Amnesty International also concluded that female inmates in the United States do not receive adequate health care.
In 1998 Canada operated seven federal prisons exclusively for women, five of which had been constructed since 1995. The oldest federal facility, built in 1934, is the Prison for Women in Kingston, Ontario. Provincial and territorial facilities for women include Burnaby Correctional Centre for Women in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Portage Correctional Institute for Women in Portage, Manitoba.
Canadian prison programs for female inmates include counseling on abuse, general education and employment training, substance abuse education and counseling, literacy programs, and parenting classes. Some programs target aboriginal women and their special needs.” (1)
Resources
Notes and References
- Information about Prisons for Women in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia