Women Inmates
One reason women's prisons are less violent is because there are simply fewer incarcerated people as a result of violent crime. Female inmates are much more likely to be serving time for drug or property offenses than their male counterparts. One study found that as many as 60% of female inmates have unhealthy substance use, while almost 75% live with a mental illness. The same study showed that the women's crimes were most often a direct result of these problems.
Male inmates, on the other hand, are more likely to be serving time for violent crimes than their female counterparts. A violent crime is a crime in which the perpetrator uses or threatens to use force against the targeted person. Violent crimes include murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery and assault.
There are also many more men than women serving time due to recidivism, which means repeated criminal behavior. For this reason, there are more male inmates serving their second prison sentence, or even more.
Overall, the vast majority of U.S. prison inmates are male, though the number of female inmates is growing. One study showed that the number of female prison inmates has increased by more than 600% since 1980. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there were nearly 1.5 million men in U.S. state and federal prisons in 2011. During the same time, there were around 111,000 women.
In both men's and women's prisons, the inmates are mostly part of a minority ethnic group and younger than 40. Specifically examining the characteristics of the female prison population, studies found that the majority had experienced physical or sexual abuse. Most people in prisons have a low-income, lack technical training, and also haven't received an academic education. Many are single mothers.
Women's Prison Services
For these reasons, you might think that classes and rehabilitative programs would be a priority in women's prisons. Because most women serve time for drug offenses rather than violent crimes, they tend to serve shorter prison sentences. Rehabilitation efforts would be reasonable, considering the women will be returning to their families and communities. However, most studies show that rehabilitation classes and programs are lacking in women's prisons.
Programs might be lacking because women serve shorter sentences. This means there's a high turnover rate in the women's prison population. Prison administrators and government officials may feel that rehabilitation programs aren't a proper investment for short-term inmates. Some professionals cite a lack of funding or inadequate training as reasons why there are fewer rehabilitative prison programs available to female inmates than those available to males.
However, female inmates might need the programs the most. Besides higher rates of substance abuse, women inmates show higher rates of depression. Female inmates are also more likely to harm themselves than men. This includes attempting suicide. Also noteworthy, approximately 60% have chronic or communicable diseases, such as hepatitis or HIV.
Women also present a unique challenge when it comes to motherhood. Statistics show that one in every 25 female inmates is pregnant when admitted to state prison. Most babies born in prison are immediately separated from their mothers, though some prisons allow the baby to stay with the mother up to 18 months.
Experts are careful to point out that women are more likely to participate in prison classes and programs and are even more likely to gain rehabilitative benefits from participation. However, men's prison programs are more developed and available. For example, one state allows male inmates to use video equipment to record messages for their families. The same state only provides audiotapes to female inmates in order to record bedtime stories for their children.
Women's Prison Culture
Now let's take a look at the difference in prison culture. Prison culture refers to the customs, beliefs, lifestyles, social interactions and values of prison inmates.
In men's prisons, a prison code is a large part of the culture. The prison code is a set of norms for the behavior of inmates and is based on loyalty. According to the prison code, prisoners are loyal to one another and share a distrust of prison officials and prison rules. The men build alliances through groups or gangs and honor a hierarchical system based on strength and power.
The prison culture in women's prisons promotes relationships more than the men's culture. As a result, the women often form pseudofamilies. A pseudofamily is a unit of inmates, formed in a family structure, in order to provide emotional support, economic support or protection. The pseudofamilies can include up to 20 inmates and consist of inmates playing the roles of mother, father, sister, brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Many experts believe pseudofamilies are a type of coping mechanism for the female inmates.
Lesson Summary
Let's review. Prisons are correctional facilities used for long-term confinement and usually run by the state. There are over 25 times more men's prisons than women's prisons. The main difference between the two is the security level, which dictates the type and number of safety measures used to keep the public protected from the inmates and the inmates protected from one another. Women's prisons are typically operated at a much lower security level.
This is because men are much more likely to be in prison for violent crimes, which are crimes in which the perpetrator uses or threatens to use force against the targeted person. Women tend to be serving time for property or drug offenses. Men also have a higher recidivism rate, which means they serve additional sentences for repeated criminal behavior.
The vast majority of prisoners are male, though the number of females is increasing. Female prisoners are faced with certain challenges, such as unhealthy substance use, not having a formal education, pregnancy, health problems, and living with depression and other mental illnesses.
Another notable difference is prison culture, which refers to the customs, beliefs, lifestyles, social interactions and values of prison inmates. Men's prisons use a prison code, which is a set of norms for the behavior of inmates and is based on loyalty. Men form gangs and honor a hierarchy. Female inmates value relationships and often form pseudofamilies, which are units of inmates, formed in a family structure, in order to provide emotional support, economic support or protection.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the video, it shouldn't be hard for you to:
- Differentiate between men and women's prisons
- Analyze how female inmates are different from male inmates
- Discuss the variety of services you may see in a women's prison
- List the differences in prison culture in men's and women's prisons
