Women and gender
Information and data on gender disparities in the criminal legal system
On this page, the Prison Policy Initiative has curated all of the research about women in the criminal justice system that we know of. For research on other criminal justice topics, see our Research Library homepage.
While the overall incarceration rate in the United States has leveled off in recent years, women’s incarceration rates continue to grow faster than men’s. But the experiences of women — as well as trans and nonbinary people — are too often lost, because men comprise the vast majority of the incarcerated population.
You can also see a selection of our best original research on this topic on our Women and Gender page.
Key facts:
- Number of women and girls incarcerated in the U.S.: 192,164+
- Number of women jailed annually in the U.S.: 2 million +
- Percent of women in U.S. prisons who are mothers: 58% +
- Precent of women in U.S. jails who are mothers: 80% +
- Number of pregnant people who enter jails and prisons each year: 58,000 +
Read the full report from Prison Policy Initiative here.
