Transcript Slide 1

Punitiveness in the
Imprisonment of Women,
1977-2004
Natasha A. Frost
Northeastern University
Previous Research

Extensive previous research on the growth
in imprisonment over the past several
decades.

Substantial previous research on state
level variations in imprisonment.

Very few studies have parsed the growth
in imprisonment by gender.
Purpose of the
Punitiveness Project

Document growth in the imprisonment of
female offenders by state and over time
(Punitiveness Phase I).


http://www.wpaonline.org/institute/hardhit/index.htm
Explore state level variations in punitiveness
toward female offenders using both
imprisonment rates and the dual determinants
of those rates (Punitiveness Phase II).
Phase One

Compile state level imprisonment data
in every year between 1977 and 2004
on the following measures:

Prisoners serving sentences of more than
one year

Imprisonment rates and admission rates

Gender ratios
State Imprisonment of
Female Offenders, 2004
Minimum
Female
Prisoners
Female Imp.
Rate
Female
Admissions*
Female
Releases*
61
(Rhode Island)
11
(Rhode Island)
80
(Maine)
49
(Maine)
Median
1,307
55
721
667
Maximum
11,408
(Texas)
129
(Oklahoma)
11,192
(California)
10,914
(California)
Total
96,125
N/A
63,023
60,257
Most Punitive States:
Female Imprisonment Rates 1977 & 2004
Rate 1977
Rate 2004
Nevada
20
Oklahoma
129
Florida
19
Mississippi
107
Georgia
18
Louisiana
103
S Carolina
18
Montana
102
N Carolina
16
Texas
101
Arizona
15
Idaho
93
Texas
14
Arizona
89
Delaware
13
Missouri
85
Washington
12
Wyoming
84
Oklahoma
12
Colorado
83
What do imprisonment
rates tell us?


Explaining Prison Population Growth
(Greenberg & West, 2001)
Imprisonment rates ultimately a
function of admissions and length of
stay.

Dual Determinants:


Imprisonment Risk and Length of Stay
Parsing Prison Population Growth
(Blumstein & Beck, 1999; 2005; Frost, 2006).
Phase II:
The Dual Determinants

Phase Two: Gendered Analysis of
Imprisonment Risk and Time-Served
Over Time and Across Offense Types.

Imprisonment Risk: “Propensity” to
imprison


Probability that an adult arrest will result in an
imprisonment of greater than one year
Length of Stay: “Intensity” in Imprisonment

Actual time-served of release cohorts
Data Reduction: NCRP 2002
Admissions
Releases
Beginning N
578,408
554,521
Valid Jurisdictions
577,088
553,617
Court Commitments
396,515
372,220
Sentence > 1 year
344,944
320,236
Valid Release Types
n/a
297,387
Final Sample Size
344,944
297,387
Prison Admissions and
Releases by Gender (1983 and 2002)
Male
Female
Total*
1983
Admissions
1983
Releases
2002
Admissions
2002
Releases
92,676
88,963
307,101
266,421
(93%)
(93%)
(89%)
(90%)
6,986
6,711
37,828
30,959
(7%)
(7%)
(11%)
(10%)
99,739
95,706
344,944
297,387
Prisoners Admitted in 2002:
Age
Women
%
Men
%
Total
%
74
0.2
1,753
0.6
1,827
0.5
18-24
6,734
17.8
93,834
30.6
100,571
29.2
25-31
8,888
23.5
71,610
23.3
80,500
23.3
32-38
10,264
27.1
59,960
19.5
70,224
20.4
39-45
8,042
21.3
47,970
15.6
56,015
16.2
Over 45
3,822
10.1
31,925
10.4
35,752
10.4
Under 18
Prisoners Admitted in 2002:
Race
Women
%
Men
%
Total
%
White
19,759
52.2
132,255
43.1
152,015
44.1
Black
14,046
37.1
131,951
43.0
145,997
42.3
1,185
3.1
4,676
1.5
5,866
1.7
Asian
203
.5
1,538
.5
1,741
.5
Native Hawaiian/
Pacific Islander
142
.4
585
.2
729
.2
2,005
5.3
26,036
8.5
28,041
8.1
American Indian/
Alaskan Native
Other
Prisoners Admitted in 2002:
Offense Types
Women
%
Men
%
Total
%
6,287
16.6
89,600
29.2
95,889
27.8
Property
13,430
35.5
80,426
26.2
93,859
27.2
Drug
13,184
34.9
87,640
28.5
100,826
29.2
Other
4,927
13.0
49,435
16.1
54,370
15.8
Violent
Descriptives: Imprisonment
Risk and Length of Stay
2002 Imprisonment Risk
Overall:
11.2 admissions
Violent:
8.4
Property:
5.1
Drug:
6.5
2002 Time Served
Overall:
18.9 months
Violent:
34.5
Property:
15.7
Drug:
16.3
1997 Imprisonment Risk
Overall:
6.5 admissions
Violent:
4.8
Property:
2.9
Drug:
5.9
1997 Time Served
Overall:
18.7 months
Violent:
31.8
Property:
16.4
Drug:
17.1
Change 1983-2002:
Change 1997-2002:
366 %
72 %
Change 1983-2002: 17 %
Change 1997-2002: 1%
Imprisonment Risk
Imprisonment Risk for Women
Prison Admissions per 100 Arrests
12
11.2
10
8
6.5
5.9
6
3.7
4
2.4
2
0
1983
1987
1992
Year
1997
2002
Imprisonment Risk, 1997-2002
Violent, Property, & Drug Offenses
Imprisonment Risk for Women
Violent, Property, and Drug Offenses
Prison Admissions per 100 Arrests
9
8.4
8
7
6.6
5.9
6
5
6.5
6.5
5.6
5.4
5.2
4.8
6.5
5.1
4.1
4
3
6.4
2.9
3.5
3.5
3.4
2
1
0
1997
1998
1999
2000
Year
Violent
Property
Drug
2001
2002
Imprisonment Risk:
Women and Men
Imprisonment Risk: Women and Men
35
Prison Admissions per 100 Arrests
31.3
30
24.5
25
24.2
22.8
25.6
20
15
16.2
8.7
10
5
6.5
7.9
8.2
1998
1999
11.2
8.2
0
1997
2000
Year
WOMEN
MEN
2001
2002
Length of Stay
Average Time Served in Prison by Women
20.0
18.7
18.9
1997
2002
18.0
Mean Time Served (Months)
16.2
16.0
14.3
14.2
1987
1992
14.0
12.0
10.0
8.0
6.0
4.0
2.0
0.0
1983
Year
Length of Stay, 1997-2002
Violent, Property, & Drug Offenses
Average Time Served in Prison by Women
Violent, Property, and Drug Offenses
40.0
34.5
Mean Time Served (Months)
35.0
30.0
34.9
32.5
34.5
33.0
31.8
25.0
20.0
17.1
15.0
16.4
18.4
17.3
17.6
17.2
17.4
16.5
17.6
17.4
16.3
15.7
10.0
5.0
0.0
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
Year
Violent
Property
Drug
2002
Length of Stay:
Women and Men
Average Time Served in Prison
35.0
Mean Time Served (Months)
30.0
29.1
25.0
20.0
31.7
31.8
19.9
20.1
30.8
29.7
27.3
18.7
20.1
19.4
18.9
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
1997
1998
1999
2000
Year
WOMEN
MEN
2001
2002
Future Phases in the
Punitiveness Project

Individual State Reports






Imprisonment Rates, Imprisonment Risk,
and Length of Stay
Across Offense Types and Over Time
Underlying Trends (Arrests and Admissions)
Legislative Changes and State Initiatives
Gender and Race Analyses
Detailed Offense Type Analyses

Underlying Violent, Property, and Drug
Offenses