The incarceration rate of females has increased by over 500 percent since the 1980s.
There are key factors that sustain female criminality, including histories of physical and sexual abuse, substance abuse, and mental illness.
Crimes committed by women are often in support of the man they are with, including drugs and “taking the rap” for their partner’s crime.
The pathways into criminal behaviors are different than for men, and their experience in the prison setting is also different. While a fair amount of research has gone into defining the pathways into prison for women, little examination has been done exploring how women experience prison and how they view themselves once incarcerated.
Yet, women suffer greatly in the prison setting for several reasons.
These reasons include the emotional and economic effects of mothers separated from their children and families, and the stress and depression associated with the manifestation of domestically violent behavior of the pre-incarcerated women to the form of dominance and oppression in the incarcerated women.
Healing emotional wounds, regaining personal control, exploring patterns of unsatisfying relationships, and challenging entrenched attitudes must be a part of recovery strategies.
We must help women build productive lives with greater emotional literacy and increased pro-social behavior.
There must be opportunities to practice these new skills in the incarcerated setting. Building skills, healing emotional wounds, and increasing self-awareness can both ease the stress of incarceration and establish solid foundation for the work of re-entry.
–Jane Dorotik is a prisoner at the California Institute for Women in Corona.
