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Present Worldwide Women Prison Inmates

Over 733,000 women and girls are detained in correctional facilities internationally, as reported by current research studies. This number includes both remand prisoners and individuals already found guilty and punished. Analysts suggest the real number is significantly higher due to unavailable statistics from numerous nations.

Female inmates generally account for a minor proportion of overall inmate numbers – usually between 2-9% on average. Currently, women and girls comprise approximately 6.8% of the global prison population. Nonetheless, their numbers are increasing at a more rapid tempo than male prisoners.

Over the past two decades, the incarcerated females in prison has expanded by approximately 60 percent – roughly triple the growth observed in the male prison population. The worldwide women inmate count increased by more than 100,000 individuals during the ten-year period ending in 2020.

Main Causes Behind the Rise

Female criminal activities are frequently associated with economic hardship and typically represent a means of survival to support their children and relatives.

Extensive studies has found that legislation frequently penalizes acts of survival and that women are unequally impacted because they are more commonly found among the most impoverished segments of society. In many countries, laws prohibiting abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution almost exclusively affect women. The chance of being given a prison sentence is often also related to poverty and the inability to pay fines for small infractions or to obtain release.

States with the Highest Incarcerated Women Statistics

The US has the highest count of female prisoners with 174,607. China follows with 145,000, plus an uncertain quantity of women and girls in awaiting trial custody and "administrative detention". Other significant contributors include Brazil (50,441), Russia (39,153), Thailand (33,057), India (23,772), the Philippines (17,121), Turkey (16,581), Vietnam (15,152), Mexico (13,841) and Indonesia (13,044).

In England and Wales, there are 3,566 women in prison – representing 4% of the total prison population. Projections indicate these numbers are anticipated to grow to 4,200 by 2027. Across Europe, 94,472 women are currently imprisoned, while Australia reports 3,473 women in prison, constituting approximately 8% of its total prison population.

Countries with Substantial Rises in Female Prison Populations

Even accounting for normal population growth over the last quarter-century, the rise in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people remains indicative of a remarkable increase. El Salvador and Cambodia have experienced over six times growth, while Indonesia and Turkey have seen increases over five times.

Incarcerated Women Facing Execution

Current calculations indicate there are between 500 and 1,000 women on death row in at least 42 countries worldwide.

The states that carry out executions on the most women are likewise the states that carry out the most capital punishments in general, specifically China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Based on current records, an uncertain quantity of women were put to death in China, while two faced execution in Egypt, 30 in Iran, one in Iraq, nine in Saudi Arabia and two in Yemen.

Unreliable information is available for states with most frequent capital punishment or for others such as North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nonetheless, analysis is available for 15 other countries with the largest quantities of women on death row.

The principal violations for which women are receiving execution orders are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with compulsory capital punishment for murder, or that fail to acknowledge gender-based violence as reducing factors, are prone to exhibit greater amounts of women on death row and additional capital punishments.

Moreover, countries that harshly penalize drug trafficking, such as those in the Middle East and Asian southeast, have a high proportion of women on death row.

Fitness of Prison for Women

Many experts and activists contend that prison is unsuitable sanction for a substantial percentage of women who break the law. The majority are imprisoned for peaceful violations; in England and Wales, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fell into this classification. Women frequently experience a "repetitive cycle of limited imprisonment terms – inadequate duration to participate in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Approximately 80% of women in prison worldwide have an diagnosable psychological condition. In Europe, self-harm statistics for women in prison are nine times higher than for the general population, based on the World Health Organization.

In reaction to increasing figures of imprisoned females and a deficiency of regulations addressing their requirements, the United Nations Female Inmate Guidelines (known as the Bangkok Rules) were approved by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules oblige states to develop non-custodial sanctions and to provide women-specific consideration in prisons.

Offspring of Incarcerated Women

An approximated 19,000 children reside in correctional facilities with a parent, typically their mother, while many times that number are apart from their mothers. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a imprisoned parent.

Besides the obvious separation and associated suffering that a prison sentence can cause, it is not uncommon for a woman to be deprived of guardianship of her children after just a limited duration in prison.

Many countries permit babies and young children to stay in prison with their mothers up to a specific age. Nonetheless, a youth experienced in incarceration can negatively affect a minor both in health and mental state.