The rising incarceration rates in the united states has lead to an increase of women being imprisoned. The effect of woman being has a greater impact on society than we thought. MAny times we fail to forget that women are also mothers. And the imprisonment of mothers has a more extensive effect on society than we thought.
One of the major causes of the imprisonment of women is poverty. Poverty is the root of a lot of problems in America, but it is linked to imprisonment. People in poverty stricken communities are more at risk of getting involved in criminal activity than someone of in higher income community. Often times when a mother is incarcerated they cannot afford legal representation. Therefore the system is designed to not …show more content…
but nothing to prevent drug use(Alexander, 2016)(Beckett,2016)
According to Alexander,”Convictions for drug offenses are the single most important cause of the explosion in incarceration rates in the United States. [More than 31 million people have been arrested for drug offenses since the drug war began.)(Alexander,2013)The fight to get drugs off the street has caused the justice systems to go to more extreme levels of enforcing the law. One thing the prison system fails to consider is their female prisoners. Inequality-Prisons are built for men (Unnasch,2011) women in prison. With the inequalities comes the stigmas of how a woman or a mother carries herself. American gender roles expect mother is seen as the caretaker, the lover. So when a mother messes up or does something criminal, women are looked down upon. Many labels such as “unfit mother” or “baad mother” are a result. Negative cognitions with imprisoned mothers instead of a looking at the individual..Mothers are not allowed to make mistakes because they are seen as perfect. Due to masculine society, prison systems were built without women in mind. Many of the facilities do not have the resources women need, let alone mothers. Most of the workers are not trained for women 's healthcare. American prison facilities lack the equipment and facilities that are needed by mothers. Only a few prisons provide nurseries for babies born in prison. Also, women need counseling and emotional support especially during the pregnancy or dealing with their children taken away from them. Often times emotional distress can lead to psychological
One of the major causes of the imprisonment of women is poverty. Poverty is the root of a lot of problems in America, but it is linked to imprisonment. People in poverty stricken communities are more at risk of getting involved in criminal activity than someone of in higher income community. Often times when a mother is incarcerated they cannot afford legal representation. Therefore the system is designed to not …show more content…
but nothing to prevent drug use(Alexander, 2016)(Beckett,2016)
According to Alexander,”Convictions for drug offenses are the single most important cause of the explosion in incarceration rates in the United States. [More than 31 million people have been arrested for drug offenses since the drug war began.)(Alexander,2013)The fight to get drugs off the street has caused the justice systems to go to more extreme levels of enforcing the law. One thing the prison system fails to consider is their female prisoners. Inequality-Prisons are built for men (Unnasch,2011) women in prison. With the inequalities comes the stigmas of how a woman or a mother carries herself. American gender roles expect mother is seen as the caretaker, the lover. So when a mother messes up or does something criminal, women are looked down upon. Many labels such as “unfit mother” or “baad mother” are a result. Negative cognitions with imprisoned mothers instead of a looking at the individual..Mothers are not allowed to make mistakes because they are seen as perfect. Due to masculine society, prison systems were built without women in mind. Many of the facilities do not have the resources women need, let alone mothers. Most of the workers are not trained for women 's healthcare. American prison facilities lack the equipment and facilities that are needed by mothers. Only a few prisons provide nurseries for babies born in prison. Also, women need counseling and emotional support especially during the pregnancy or dealing with their children taken away from them. Often times emotional distress can lead to psychological