The US female prison population has increased 646% in the past three decades, primarily due to inmates receiving sentences for nonviolent, low-level offenses. The United States imprisons more women than any other country, all at the taxpayer’s expense. Why is this number growing so dramatically? Boston University’s Master of Criminal Justice online program takes a closer look at the exploding female prison population in the United States in the infographic below.
The latest (March 2026) update to the female offender dashboard provides comprehensive information on women involved in the CJS.
A Whole Systems Approach to support women combining multi-agency collaboration, women’s centres, diversion pathways, and lived experience expertise.
Too many women are being remanded to custody, including those who are severely mentally unwell who should be receiving treatment in the community.
The sixth edition of the World Female Imprisonment List shows female prison population growing faster than male population worldwide.
Prison inspectors say prisons are not doing enough to help women cope. For some this lack of care to meet their basic needs causes such distress that they resort to harming themselves.
Global Prison Trends 2024 sheds light on key issues such as prison overcrowding, the mental health crisis, corruption, and the growing use of digital technologies.
Unilink, Europe’s provider of Offender/Probation Management Software
