The Prison System: Women Incarcerated (PDF)

According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, over one million women—nearly 1 percent of the U.S. population—live under some form of correctional supervision in the United States. Drug related offenses, robbery, and violent crimes are the most common reasons U.S. women end up in jail, accounting for more than 80 percent of all female inmates. Whatever the reasons they end up there, the reality is that thousands of women live behind bars.Women Incarcerated explores the key issues of women behind bars. See what daily prison life is like for women inmates, and what happens when women's prisons are too full. Learn how pregnant women are treated within the system and what happens to the children of incarcerated mothers. Discussion includes women whose crimes resulted from coercion, assault, or sexual abuse, as well as women whose crimes are related to mental health issues or substance abuse.PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Each title in this series contains a foreword from the Associate Dean of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, color photos throughout, charts, and back matter that includes an index and further resource lists of books and Internet resources. Key Icons appear throughout the books in this series, encouraging library readers to build knowledge, gain awareness, explore possibilities and expand their viewpoints through our content-rich nonfiction books. Key Icons in this series are as follows: Words to Understand are shown at the front of each chapter with definitions. These words are set in boldfaced type in that chapter, so that readers can reference back to the definitions—building their vocabulary and enhancing their reading comprehension. Sidebars are highlighted graphics with content rich material within that allows readers to build knowledge and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Text-Dependent Questions are placed at the end of each chapter. They challenge the reader's comprehension of the chapter they have just read, while sending the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research Projects are provided at the end of each chapter as well and provide readers with suggestions for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Educational Videos provide links via QR codes to online video content that gives a multimedia dimension to the topics. And a Series Glossary of Key Terms is included in the back matter containing terminology used throughout the series. Words found here broaden the reader's knowledge and understanding of terms used in this field.