Female criminals have been around long before the thought of a prison system even became into notion. Although according to today’s statistics they have a lower arrest rate, female crimes are increasing faster than male crimes (Steffensmeier & Allan, 2002). The United States has a specific prison system designed for these women. Up until this point of time, females were house with male inmates and left to fend for themselves. They were eith in close confinement with males or were put into one large holding area for multiple female prisoners. Today female prisons are geared to be more appropriate for them by recognizing the sensitivities of their gender. The first female prison in the United States was established in 1869 in downtown Indianapolis.
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“It is a maximum security facility which until November 2009 was located entirely within an urban residential neighborhood. The facility houses all the special populations of female offenders in the state. The pregnant, sick, mentally ill, youthful, elderly, and high-profile female offenders are all housed at the Indiana Women’s Prison” (GOV, 2015). Up until this point, female prisoners were house with their male criminal counterparts. They were often located in the basements or spare rooms of other prisons. There was no type of feminine specialty care for them and they were often raped, beaten, or abused. “In addition, women received the short end of even the prison stick. Rather than spend the money to hire a matron, women were often left completely on their own, vulnerable to attack by guards. Women had less access to the physician and chaplain and did not go to workshops, mess halls, or exercise yards as men did. Food and needlework were brought to their quarters, and they remained in that area for the full term of their sentence. Criminal conviction and imprisonment of women soared during and after the Civil War” (Kurshan, N.D.).The Indiana Women’s prison allowed for a safer prison system for them. From here the prison continued to evolve and population grew. Today it houses some of the most dangerous female criminals with over 600
“It is a maximum security facility which until November 2009 was located entirely within an urban residential neighborhood. The facility houses all the special populations of female offenders in the state. The pregnant, sick, mentally ill, youthful, elderly, and high-profile female offenders are all housed at the Indiana Women’s Prison” (GOV, 2015). Up until this point, female prisoners were house with their male criminal counterparts. They were often located in the basements or spare rooms of other prisons. There was no type of feminine specialty care for them and they were often raped, beaten, or abused. “In addition, women received the short end of even the prison stick. Rather than spend the money to hire a matron, women were often left completely on their own, vulnerable to attack by guards. Women had less access to the physician and chaplain and did not go to workshops, mess halls, or exercise yards as men did. Food and needlework were brought to their quarters, and they remained in that area for the full term of their sentence. Criminal conviction and imprisonment of women soared during and after the Civil War” (Kurshan, N.D.).The Indiana Women’s prison allowed for a safer prison system for them. From here the prison continued to evolve and population grew. Today it houses some of the most dangerous female criminals with over 600