Trends in the world female imprisonment 2016
Trends in the world female imprisonment 2016
During 2015, Micheal Tonry the president of the European Society of Criminology, explained that the United States is the land of mass incarceration. Within Europe, criminologists, policy-makers and practitioners have begun to take a stance to take action about the increasing imprisonment of men and women. In particular, countries such as the United Kingdom have started to take into account issues relating to women in prison. For example in England there has been the recent announcement of the closure of HMP Holloway, which has been the largest prison in Europe and located in North London. According to the president of the European Society of Criminology, people outside of the United States do not typically know that policies and practices relating to imprisonment are under reconsideration. This post is related to trends in the world imprisonment rate 2016.
The worldwide trends of female imprisonment have generally seen the highest rises within Latin America and Asia. Statistics about the imprisonment rates within China are mainly incomplete, however a non-profit humanitarian organisation called www.duihua.org focuses on issues relating to improve the treatment of detainees through the promotion of universally recognised human rights in well-informed, mutually respectful dialogue with China. The work of www.duihua.org has provided an in-depth account of imprisonment rates relating to female prisoners in China. If current trends continue then it is predicted that the number of women imprisoned within China will soon overtake the United States. While this prediction is not predicted for 2016, it is expected that the rates of imprisonment for women in China will increase. The graph below illustrates a predicted comparison between China and the United State for the imprisonment of women.
According to www.duihua.org the reasons why women in prison will increase within China due to the number of women and girls who are held according to political reasons. In common with the worldwide imprisonment of women, the majority of female prisoners are not convicted of violent crimes. The main convictions for women in prison throughout the world are due to offences related to drug possession, trafficking and property crime. All countries have different jurisdictions and it is extremely difficult to compile precise comparisons of either the crimes women have committed or their conditions within imprisonment. Despite this, many campaigners and interested reform organisations have held hop that the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-Custodial Measures for Women Offenders 2010 (Bangkok Rules) will improve the conditions for women in prison.
While in Europe there is evidence that women in prison is on the political agenda, in other countries such as China and the United States there is concern about the rise of imprisonment for women. Despite these different trends there is no one worldwide organisation that represents women in prison. The aim of this blog will be to highlight all issues that will help the work of practitioners and researchers who are working with or campaigning about women in prison. For example within the United States, a recent article published by an organisation called www.prisonpolicy.org has highlighted recent trends of women in prison within different states within the United States.
Trends in world female imprisonment
It is known that the United States has is known for its high imprisonment rates. Imprisonment rates are not exact, cannot be compared to different countries but are a good indication of trends within countries. While the majority of prisoners throughout the world are men, the United States imprisons 716 people for every 100,000 residents. The rates of imprisonment for women are not the same within all states; however the following graph has been produced to represent world women’s incarceration as if every state within the United States were a country. This graph shows the true nature of imprisonment for women within the United States and highlights how women’s imprisonment within the United States is the highest in the world.
In particular, it has been calculated that nearly 30% of the worlds incarcerated women are within the United States and this represents twice the percentage of women in China. Organisations such as www.prisonpolicy.org acknowledge and campaign about the high rates of imprisonment within the United States. Despite a prediction that the rate of imprisonment of women in China could overtake the United States, the statistics suggest that some individual states such as West Virginia, cannot be complacent about how many female prisoners they have. If there is a chance that the worldwide rates of imprisonment are reduced than there is a need for policy discussions, politicians, academics and campaigning organisations to recognise that issues relating to women are not just local but international issues. Currently there is no one organisation that represents the interests of women in prison around the world. While some organisations state that they are involved with issues relating to women in prison, these organisations are also campaigning about men and the conditions of imprisonment in general. This blog will be unique in its focus about issues relating to women in prison.
