Female arrest and imprisonment rates have increased more quickly than those of men in the justice system over the past five decades, resulting in substantial growth in the number of women returning from prisons and jails each year. The increase in justice-involved and incarcerated women is mainly attributable to several policy-level changes implemented in the 1980s and 1990s, including mandatory minimums for drug crimes, significant increases in female arrests for drug crimes, and growth in assault rates for females due to domestic violence mandatory arrest policies. Substance use is integral to understanding the involvement of women in the justice system, as many women are arrested either for drug-related crimes (e.g., possession, sale, or manufacturing) or instrumental property crimes designed to enable the acquisition of drugs. Research indicates that substance use and abuse among women in the justice system is often accompanied by one or more co-occurring psychiatric disorders; women in the criminal justice system are significantly more likely than the general population to suffer from a range of mental health disorders including depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, and especially post-traumatic stress disorder. Women in the justice system are also more likely than males to report both substance use and prior mental illness and to be diagnosed with co-occurring conditions.
FY 2020 Report to the Committees on Appropriations - Formerly Incarcerated Women and Reentry: Trends, Challenges, and Recommendations for Research and Policy
NCJ Number
303933
Date Published
October 2021
Length
51 pages
Abstract