Women represent the fasted growing population in prison.
Incarcerated women are overwhelmingly poor.
When women go to prison, it takes a devastating toll on the family. Six per cent of women are pregnant when they enter prison. In almost all cases, the woman is abruptly separated from her child after giving birth. Women prisoners report significant histories of domestic violence. Because there are fewer prison facilities for women, an incarcerated woman is ordinarily much farther away from her home and family than the average male prisoner.