Imprisonment Of Women In The United States

Write the Introduction to Sociology For Prison Population.

The high rate of imprisonment in the United States

The United States is known for its crowded prisons. While the population of the United States is only about 5% of the world population, it houses more than 20% of the incarcerated people in the world (Campbell, Michael, Matt and Joshua, 183). The 1980s saw a dramatic change in the nature of crime laws and the number of people being imprisoned (Kubrin, Charis and Carroll, 18). At the start of that decade, the number of women in prison was approximately 13000 (Kaeble, 17). This number represented only 4% of the total prison population in the United States (Stevens and Danelle, 561). In the next two decades that followed, the rate of imprisonment for women increased. The rate increased to become higher than that of men. By the year 2010, women in prison represented about 7% of the total prison population in the US (Travis, Jeremy, Bruce and Stevens, 7).

 It is important to note that race is an important factor when it comes to imprisonment (Omi, Michael and Howard, 14). It is sad to note that at the beginning of the millennium, the rate of imprisonment for black women was about six times that of the white women (Pratt, 17). Women are usually arrested for petty crimes and are usually accomplices to men perpetuating the crimes (Wacquant, 105). Most of the imprisonment cases concerning women revolves around drugs. The United States has put stringent measures when it comes to the issue of drugs which may partly explain the situation (Gross, 27). There were two main factors that contributed to the rise in the imprisonment of African American women at the time. One of the factors is the law enforcement policies introduced at the time which targeted the minority communities (Mullings, 14). The other factor was mandatory sentencing laws.

It is interesting to note that changes in policies over time have led to increase in the number of female prisoners (Kearney, 14). In addition, the policies have contributed to changes in the racial makeup of the imprisoned women. As noted earlier, African American women were incarcerated at a rate of about 6 times that of the white women at the beginning of the millennium. In the contemporary society however, the white women have a higher rate of being arrested when compared to the African American women (Monteith, 31). 

African American women undergo abuse when in prison (Miller, 29). Although this happens to the white women too, extensive evidence shows that black women are at a higher risk of being abused than their white counterparts (Lee, 270). Most of the abuse is usually perpetrated by the correctional officers who are supposed to protect the women and ensure that they are provided with food and other necessities. This section is going to analyze the case of Dorothy (not her real name) to demonstrate the kind of abuse that African American women go through while in prison.

The increase in the imprisonment rate of women since the 1980s

Dorothy was serving a 9 year sentence. She was accused of selling narcotics. She says that she was delivering some mail on behalf of her boyfriend oblivious of the fact that the mail contained some narcotics. It is sad to note that she received such a long sentence despite pleading with the court that she was not aware of what the envelope contained. She has never suspected her boyfriend and was shocked to learn that the envelope contained drugs. It is worth noting that Dorothy is an African American woman.

While in prison, male correctional officers were allowed to look after the women in the correctional facilities. She says that the guards would be allowed to monitor them while showering, eating, sleeping and even using the toilets. In addition, to this, the correctional officers were responsible for issuing food, toilet papers and other necessities to the incarcerated women. She recalls of one day when one of the correctional officers asked for sexual favors for him to continue providing her with food and other necessities. At first, she though that the guard was joking. However, the officer started reducing the amount of food and other amenities for her. Dorothy knew that reporting would not yield much fruit but she decided to report the mater any way. Nothing was done.

The officer continued asking for the favors. When she refused, the officer made her life a living hell through extreme reduction in the amount of meals and other necessities that she needed/ was entitled to. She says that the officer did this with total impunity as though he was sure that no action is going to be taken against him. She recalls that one day when she was alone in the laundry room, the guard showed up and locked the door from the inside. He used force to rape her. She reported this matter but nothing was done about it. The abuse affected her greatly and soon she was almost grappling in to depression. Due to the great psychological torture that she was going through, she requested for a counselor. Her request was denied. She tried several other times with the same fate. This case is a clear illustration of the forms of abuse that the African American women undergo while in prison. 

As observed in the discussion above, male correctional officers are allowed to look after women prisoners/inmates. Extensive evidence reveals that there cases of sexual abuse are rampant in the correctional facilities. In the year 1999, the federal government appreciated the fact that these cases are there but claimed that the full extent of the nature of the crime could not be determined because women do not report the cases (Wanzo, 14). It is worth noting that although both white and black women are affected by the abuse, the black women are affected more.

Race as an important factor in imprisonment cases

Most of the times, the guards ask for sexual favors in exchange of food and basic needs for the woman in question (Enns, 877). It is good to indicate here that the woman is entitled to these things only that the guard is abusing the responsibility that is entrusted to them. Some of the women give in to these cruel demands just to obtain the basic necessities. Those who do not give in go through living hell as evidenced by the case of Dorothy. Some of the officers also rape the women. Reporting the cases usually do not yield any fruit. This means only one thing, that the woman will continue suffering.

It is sad to note that such practices happen even in the 21^st century. The behavior of the officers could be referred to as the highest form of impunity. They do this with the assurance that nothing will be done to them (Abramovitz, 9). Theirs is a lawless society where they can do anything that they want and at any time that they like. There is need for radical changes in the leadership and administration of the judiciary and the correctional facilities (Bhandari, 2108). Then and only then will things change. Otherwise the current behaviors will persist. 

The civil brands movie showcases the forms of abuse that women go through when in prison. It perfectly illustrates the fate of black women in correctional facilities. It is a film that revolves around the mistreatment of black women in prisons/correctional facilities. The movie presents a group of black women who face various forms of abuse from two guards. The abuse includes both verbal and sexual forms. This group of abused women soon gang up to refuse oppression. They are joined in their endeavor by a young law student who is employed as a part time guard in the correctional facility. Their unity becomes their strength and they hold an uprising against the brute wardens.

In a way, the movie helps us to appreciate the forms of abuse that the women go through while in prison. In addition to this, the movie presents hope both to the public and to the inmates. The hope is that the oppression would end someday soon. There is an urgent need for radical changes in the judiciary and the correctional facilities to ensure that these forms of abuse are completely eradicated from the correctional facilities. Human beings should always be treated with the highest form of dignity whether they are inmates or otherwise. 

The prevalence of drug-related imprisonment cases

Conclusion

The population of the United States of American is 5% of the population of the world. Despite this, the country has more than 20% of prisoners. There has been changes in the trend of imprisonment in the last few decades. During the early 1980s, women composed only a small proportion of the inmates. Over the years, the number of women being imprisoned has continually increased. African American women go through various forms of abuse while in prison. Although even their white counterparts go through abuse, they have a higher chance of being abused,

Abuse takes different forms including verbal and sexual. The women are usually oppressed by the guards who act with a high form of impunity. Reporting any case of abuse is usually as good as useless for it is unlikely to lead to any action. It is sad that these things happen in the current day and age. There is need for urgent intervention to solve the problem.  

References

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Bhandari, Shreya. "Comparison of abuse experiences of rural and urban African American women during perinatal period." Journal of interpersonal violence 30.12 (2015): 2087-2108.

Campbell, Michael C., Matt Vogel, and Joshua Williams. "Historical contingencies and the evolving importance of race, violent crime, and region in explaining mass incarceration in the United States." Criminology 53.2 (2015): 180-203.

Enns, Peter K. "The public's increasing punitiveness and its influence on mass incarceration in the United States." American Journal of Political Science 58.4 (2014): 857-872.

Gross, Kali Nicole. "African American women, mass incarceration, and the politics of protection." Journal of American History 102.1 (2015): 25-33.

Kaeble, Danielle. "Correctional populations in the United States, 2014." Bureau of Justice Statistics (2016): 1-19.

Kearney, Melissa. Ten economic facts about crime and incarceration in the United States. Hamilton Project, Brookings, 2014.

Kubrin, Charis, and Carroll Seron. "The prospects and perils of ending mass incarceration in the United States." (2016): 16-24.

Lee, Hedwig. "Racial inequalities in connectedness to imprisoned individuals in the United States." Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race 12.2 (2015): 269-282.

Miller, R. Robin. Impacts of incarceration on the African American family. Routledge, 2018.

Monteith, Sharon. "The movie-made movement: civil rites of passage." Memory and popular film. Manchester University Press, 2018.

Mullings, Leith. On our own terms: Race, class, and gender in the lives of African-American Women. Routledge, 2014.

Omi, Michael, and Howard Winant. Racial formation in the United States. Routledge, 2014.

Pratt, Travis C. Addicted to incarceration: Corrections policy and the politics of misinformation in the United States. Sage Publications, 2018.

Stevens-Watkins and Danelle. "Examining the associations of racism, sexism, and stressful life events on psychological distress among African-American women." Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology 20.4 (2014): 561.

Travis, Jeremy, Bruce Western, and F. Stevens Redburn. "The growth of incarceration in the United States: Exploring causes and consequences." (2014).

Wacquant, Loic. "From slavery to mass incarceration: Rethinking the “race question” in the United States." Globalization of Racism. Routledge, 2015. 100-116.

Wanzo, Rebecca. Suffering Will Not Be Televised: African American Women and Sentimental Political Storytelling. Suny Press, 2015.