Women Incarcerated

According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, over one million women-nearly 1 percent of the U.S. population-live under some form of correctional supervision in the United States. Drug related offenses, robbery, and violent crimes are the most common reasons U.S. women end up in jail, accounting for more than 80 percent of all female inmates. Whatever the reasons they end up there, the reality is that thousands of women live behind bars. Women Incarcerated explores the key issues of women behind bars. See what daily prison life is like for women inmates, and what happens when women's prisons are too full. Learn how pregnant women are treated within the system and what happens to the children of incarcerated mothers. Discussions includes women whose crimes resulted from coercion, assault, or sexual abuse, as well as women whose crimes are related to mental health issues or substance abuse.