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Present Worldwide Women Prison Inmates

Over 733,000 women and girls are confined in penal institutions internationally, according to current investigations. This figure includes both awaiting trial prisoners and those who have been found guilty and punished. Researchers estimate the actual total is much greater due to missing information from multiple states.

Women consistently represent a small minority of national prison populations – usually between 2-9% on average. Presently, women and girls comprise approximately 6.8% of the global prison population. Nevertheless, their population is growing at a quicker pace than male prisoners.

From the millennium onward, the incarcerated females in prison has increased by almost three-fifths – almost three times the increase observed in the incarcerated male demographic. The worldwide women inmate count rose by over 100,000 individuals during the ten-year period ending in 2020.

Key Factors Behind the Increase

Offenses committed by women are often associated with economic hardship and often constitute a method of sustenance to support their children and relatives.

Detailed analysis has established that laws often criminalize essential livelihood measures and that women are unfairly targeted because they are over-represented among the lowest economic brackets of society. In many countries, laws penalizing abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution disproportionately target women. The likelihood of receiving a prison sentence is often also related to poverty and the failure to afford fines for minor crimes or to arrange temporary freedom.

Countries with the Highest Incarcerated Women Statistics

The United States has the greatest quantity of female prisoners with 174,607. China follows with 145,000, plus an unknown number of women and girls in pre-trial detention and "procedural custody. Further substantial 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 overall inmate count. Forecasts show these numbers are anticipated to grow to 4,200 by 2027. Across Europe, 94,472 women are presently incarcerated, while Australia reports 3,473 women in prison, representing approximately 8% of its total prison population.

States with Substantial Rises in Female Prison Populations

Even accounting for typical population expansion over the last quarter-century, the increase in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people remains indicative of a significant growth. Cambodia and El Salvador have experienced over six times growth, while Turkey and Indonesia have seen more than fivefold rises.

Incarcerated Women Facing Execution

Present approximations 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 perform the highest number of executions in general, namely China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Based on recent documentation, an unknown number of women were given capital punishment in China, while two received death sentences in Egypt, 30 in Iran, one in Iraq, nine in Saudi Arabia and two in Yemen.

Incomplete statistics 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 given capital punishment are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with compulsory capital punishment for murder, or that refuse to consider gender-based violence as lessening conditions, are prone to exhibit greater amounts of women on death row and frequent death sentences.

Moreover, countries that severely criminalize drug trafficking, such as those in the Arabian Peninsula and Asian southeast, have a substantial ratio of women on death row.

Fitness of Imprisonment for Women

Various professionals and campaigners contend that prison is not a suitable punishment for a significant portion of women who commit crimes. Most are incarcerated for peaceful violations; in Britain, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fit this category. Women commonly face a "cyclical pattern of brief incarceration periods – insufficiently long to take part in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.

Approximately 80% of women in prison worldwide have an identifiable mental illness. 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 response to increasing figures of imprisoned females and a absence of guidelines addressing their requirements, the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners (known as the Bangkok Rules) were approved by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules mandate countries to establish non-imprisonment penalties and to guarantee female-appropriate care in prisons.

Children of Female Prisoners

An approximated 19,000 children live in prison with a parent, typically their mother, while a much larger quantity are apart from their mothers. Approximately 1.45 million children worldwide have a incarcerated mother.

Besides the obvious separation and related distress that a prison sentence can cause, it is quite common for a woman to be deprived of guardianship of her children after just a brief period in prison.

Various states allow for babies and young children to remain in correctional facilities with their mothers up to a specific age. Nonetheless, a youth experienced in incarceration can harm a young person both physically and emotionally.