The tide has turned regarding incarceration in the United States. Prison reform has gained traction and a failed drug war has largely been abandoned by many politicians, including some of the strongest former advocates. Both sides of the political aisle seem to agree, to an extent, that the United States locks up too many people.
But the conversation seems largely focused on men. Men make up a larger percentage of the jailed population. However, the larger pattern of conviction seems to suggest that we should start paying some attention to women. Women now make up the fastest growing correctional population. From 1970 to 2014, the population of jailed or imprisoned women has drastically increased (fourteen times the 1970 number) compared to men (four times the 1970 number).
Additionally, jails and the justice system are traditionally gender-unaware. Failing to provide feminine hygiene products to posting bail too high for most single women to afford leaves most overlooked in the system.
Elizabeth Swavola, one of the principal authors of the report Overlooked: Women and Jails in an Era of Reform, talked to KCSB’s Nkechi Ikem about the issue.
