Some facts about Justice and Woman

These stats are from project Progress 2050.

We should remember that while we celebrate International Women's Day, and give thanks to the incredible feats that women have achieved around the world, there is still much to do to ensure that women are not disadvantaged due to their gender.

For instance, women are now incarcerated at nearly double the rate of men in this country, yet they receive little attention in criminal justice reform measures. These women have gender-specific needs which differ from men in prison. This is primarily due to the fact they are the primary caregivers for their children prior to incarceration, and they are more likely to be victims of emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Instead of investing in counseling for traumatized pasts or rehabilitative treatment for substance abuse, the criminal justice systems continues to hold women in extraordinary numbers for nonviolent drug-related crimes.

Here are the top five facts we have about women in the criminal justice system of our country.

1. The number of women incarcerated has grown by more than 800 percent over the last three decades and women of color are locked up far more often.

More than 200,000 women are currently behind bars, and over 1 million are on probation. More than two-thirds of women are currently in prison for nonviolent offences, including many drug-related offenses. Women of color are disproportionately affected: African American women are three times more likely than white women to be incarcerated, while Hispanic women are 69 percent more likely than white women to be incarcerated.

2. Many women who have suffered from emotional, physical and sexual abuse are eligible for criminal justice.

A reported 85 to 90 percent of women who are either currently incarcerated or under the control of the justice system in the United States have a history of domestic and sexual abuse. Substance abuse, mental illness and spousal abuse are all risk factors for women's criminal behavior. It is estimated that up to 80 percent of women prisoners suffer from substance addiction. Although it is cheaper to care for these women than to imprison them or place their children in foster homes, the refusal of such rehabilitative measures - which could help facilitate their return into society as productive members - is a huge problem.

3. Many girls also enter the juvenile justice system with a disturbing history of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.

Girls are disproportionately arrested for running away, accounting for 59 percent of runaways, though they are often fleeing violent home situations. They are instead of being provided with counseling and mental health services, but they are dehumanized and humiliated in prison. Girls are also more likely than boys to be sexually victimized while serving time in a facility.

4. Pregnant women are often held in chains during pregnancy and birth, which can pose a risk to the child's health.

While court cases have ruled that shackling women prisoners to their beds during labor and delivery is inhumane and unconstitutional, the practice continues in many state facilities. Women in prison are also routinely denied basic reproductive health services, such as pregnancy testing, prenatal care, screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and access to abortion services.

5. Women face further discrimination after release from prison.

Many women are faced with barriers after being released from prison. Women of color, who are disproportionately poor, find themselves restricted from governmental assistance programs, such as housing, employment, education, and subsistence benefits. Some states have imposed statutory bans on certain convictions in order to prevent them from working in certain fields, such as home and child health care, nursing, and child care. These are three areas in which many women of color and poor women are concentrated.

Despite crime falling in the United States, the incarceration rate for nonviolent drug offenses has soared. This is especially evident in the case of women of color. As we consider the role of women today, the criminal justice system's treatment of women and the large-scale abandonment that it causes are both serious problems.