When the subject of the criminal justice system and its impact on the African-American community is discussed, the emphasis is usually placed on males.
When the subject of the criminal justice system and its impact on the African-American community is discussed, the emphasis is usually placed on males.
This is understandable if we focus exclusively on numbers. Black males are victimized, arrested and incarcerated in much greater numbers than Black females. For example, in 2007, Black males were incarcerated at a rate of 3,138 per 100,000 Black males in the population; Black females were incarcerated at a rate of 150 per 100,000.
The number of females arrested and incarcerated has been steadily increasing, but the criminal justice system has been slow to make the accommodations necessary to address their needs. The physical facilities and institutional policies are often designed to address a male population.
When I worked for the New York Police Department, I headed a group that looked at the integration of female police officers into the department. We found that the precincts were built with no female showers, locker spaces and bathrooms; there was no pregnancy policy; and no accommodations were made for officers with children. Similarly, female prison facilities tend to be designed by males for a smaller female population. Maximum-security inmates are housed with nonviolent offenders; and in the older jails, female detainees are confined to spaces that were not designed to accommodate the special needs of females.
The unique social needs of female inmates often are not addressed in prison policies and programs. The cost of incarcerating a female tends to be higher because convicted females are more likely to have dependent children, and female inmates are more likely to need mental health services.
It has been estimated that over 60 percent of incarcerated Black females have dependent children. Many of these children have to receive governmental assistance after their mother is imprisoned.
Many Black female inmates were victims of abuse as a child and/or as an adult. The history of abuse contributes to the need for mental health services, which may not be available at the facility where they are incarcerated.
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