58% of women in U.S. prisons are mothers.
Prison Policy Initiative updates for May 5, 2022 Exposing how mass incarceration harms communities and our national welfare
Prisons and jails will separate millions of mothers from their children in 2022 [[link removed]] 58% of all women in U.S. prisons are mothers, and other important facts to know this Mother’s Day. [[link removed]]
by Wendy Sawyer and Wanda Bertram
This Mother's Day — as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to put people behind bars at risk — nearly 150,000 incarcerated mothers will spend the day apart from their children. Over half [[link removed]] (58%) of all women in U.S. prisons are mothers, as are 80% of women in jails, including many who are incarcerated awaiting trial simply because they can't afford bail. [[link removed]]
Most of these women are incarcerated for drug and property [[link removed]] offenses, often stemming from poverty and/or substance use disorders. Most are also the primary caretakers [[link removed]] of their children, meaning that punishing them with incarceration tears their children away from a vital source of support. And these numbers don't cover the many women preparing to become mothers while locked up this year: An estimated 58,000 people every year are pregnant when they enter local jails [[link removed]] or prisons [[link removed]].
150,000 mothers separated from their children this Mother's Day is atrocious in and of itself - but that's just one day. How many people in the U.S. have experienced separation from their mothers due to incarceration over the years? Unfortunately, these specific data are not collected, but we calculated some rough estimates based on other research to attempt to answer this question:
Roughly 570,000 women living in the U.S. had ever been separated from their minor children by a period of imprisonment as of 2010. An estimated 1.3 million people living in the U.S. had been separated from their mothers before their 18th birthdays due to their mothers' imprisonment, also as of 2010.
The scale of maternal incarceration - and its related harms - is monumental. But to be clear, these are estimates of how many children there were among the roughly 1 million women alive in 2010 who had ever been to prison, and only includes children who were minors when their mothers were in prison. These estimates are therefore very conservative, as they do not include the many, many more women who have ever been booked into a local jail.
Most incarcerated mothers are locked up in local jails
Women incarcerated in the U.S. are disproportionately in jails [[link removed]] rather than prisons. As we've written before, even a short jail stay [[link removed]] can be devastating [[link removed]], especially when it separates a mother from children who depend on her.
Estimates have been rounded for this graphic. For sourcing information see the full version of this briefing [[link removed]].
80% of the women who will go to jail this year are mothers — including 55,000 women who are pregnant [[link removed]] when they are admitted. Beyond having to leave their children in someone else's care, these women will be impacted by the brutal side effects of going to jail: Aggravation of mental health problems [[link removed]], a greater risk of suicide [[link removed]], and a much higher likelihood of ending up homeless [[link removed]] or deprived of essential [[link removed]] financial benefits.
How incarceration — and life after incarceration — hurts mothers and their children
Women who are pregnant when they are locked up have to contend with a healthcare system that frequently neglects and abuses patients. In a 50-state survey [[link removed]] of state prison systems' healthcare policies, we found that many states fail to meet even basic standards of care for expectant mothers, like providing screening and treatment for high-risk pregnancies. In local jails, where tens of thousands of pregnant women will spend time this year, healthcare is often even worse (across the board) than in state or federal prisons.
More challenges await incarcerated mothers and pregnant women when they are released from jail or prison. Formerly incarcerated women experience extremely high rates of food insecurity [[link removed]], according to a 2019 study. And as we previously reported, the 1.9 million women [[link removed]] released from prisons and jails every year have high rates of poverty, unemployment, and homelessness, confirming what many advocates already knew: that there is a shortage of agencies and organizations able and willing to help formerly incarcerated women restart their lives.
It's time we recognized that when we put women in jail, we inflict potentially irreparable damage to their families. Most women who are incarcerated would be better served [[link removed]] though alternatives in their communities.
So would their kids. Keeping parents out of jail and prison is critical to protect children from the known harms of parental incarceration, including:
Traumatic loss [[link removed]] marked with feelings of social stigma and shame and trauma-related stress More mental health problems [[link removed]]and elevated levels of anxiety, fear, loneliness, anger, and depression [[link removed]] Less stability [[link removed]] and greater likelihood [[link removed]] of living with grandparents, family friends, or in foster care Difficulty meeting basic needs [[link removed]] for families with a member in prison or jail Lower educational achievement [[link removed]], impaired teacher-student relationships [[link removed]], and more problems [[link removed]] with behavior, attention deficits, speech and language, and learning disabilities Problems getting enough sleep [[link removed]] and maintaining a healthy diet More mental and physical health problems later in life [[link removed]]
Incarceration punishes more than just individuals; entire families [[link removed]] suffer the effects [[link removed]] long after a sentence ends. Mother's Day reminds us again that people behind bars are not nameless "offenders," but beloved family members and friends whose presence — and absence — matters.
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For more information, including detailed footnotes and an explanation about the timing of the data used, see the full, online version of this briefing [[link removed]].
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Other news: What does reproductive "choice" look like when you're behind bars? [[link removed]]
As reproductive rights are under threat, it is important to remember life behind bars does not occur in a bubble. State policies can have significant consequences for the 58,000 pregnant people who enter prison and jail every year.
In a recent briefing [[link removed]], we looked at two studies that give a glimpse into what reproductive "choice" means when you're locked up.
Please support our work [[link removed]]
Our work is made possible by private donations. Can you help us keep going? We can accept tax-deductible gifts online [[link removed]] or via paper checks sent to PO Box 127 Northampton MA 01061. Thank you!
Our other newsletters Ending prison gerrymandering ( archives [[link removed]]) Criminal justice research library ( archives [[link removed]])
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