Global Women Incarceration Statistics and Death Row Numbers
Present Global Female Prison Inmates
Over 733,000 women and girls are currently held in prison systems globally, according to current investigations. This statistic encompasses both remand prisoners and those who have been found guilty and punished. Experts believe the actual total is substantially larger due to incomplete data from numerous nations.
Women consistently represent a limited percentage of overall inmate numbers – commonly between 2-9% on average. As of now, women and girls represent approximately 6.8% of the global prison population. Nonetheless, 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 male inmate numbers. The worldwide women inmate count increased by more than 100,000 individuals during the ten-year interval ending in 2020.
Key Factors Behind the Increase
Offenses committed by women are commonly linked to poverty and typically represent a method of sustenance to support their children and relatives.
Extensive studies has found that legislation frequently penalizes essential livelihood measures and that women are unequally impacted because they are disproportionately represented among the lowest economic brackets of society. In many countries, laws criminalizing abortion, adultery, sexual misconduct and prostitution disproportionately target women. The chance of being given a prison sentence is often also related to poverty and the inability to pay fines for minor crimes or to secure bail.
Nations with the Largest Female Prison Populations
The US has the highest count of female prisoners with 174,607. China follows with 145,000, plus an unknown number of women and girls in awaiting trial custody and "procedural custody. Additional major sources 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 Britain, there are 3,566 women in prison – representing 4% of the total prison population. Forecasts show these numbers are predicted to increase 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.
Nations with Significant Increases in Women Inmate Numbers
Even accounting for standard demographic increases over the previous two-and-a-half decades, the surge in the number of female prisoners per 100,000 people still shows a remarkable increase. Cambodia and El Salvador have experienced more than sixfold increases, while Turkey and Indonesia have seen growth exceeding 500%.
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 nations that put to death the most women are likewise the states that perform the highest number of executions in general, including China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Based on latest reports, an unknown number of women were put to death in China, while two received death sentences in Egypt, 30 in Iran, one in Iraq, nine in Saudi Arabia and two in Yemen.
No accurate data is available for states with most frequent capital punishment or for others such as North Korea, Vietnam and Qatar. Nonetheless, analysis is accessible regarding 15 other countries with the largest quantities of women on death row.
The two primary crimes for which women are sentenced to death are murder and drug trafficking. Countries with required execution sentences for murder, or that refuse to consider gender-based violence as mitigating circumstances, are inclined to display higher numbers of women on death row and frequent death sentences.
Moreover, countries that strictly prohibit drug trafficking, such as those in the Gulf region and southeast Asia, have a substantial ratio of women on death row.
Fitness of Incarceration for Females
Various professionals and campaigners argue that prison is unsuitable sanction for a substantial percentage of women who commit crimes. Most are incarcerated for non-violent crimes; in the UK, for example, 72% of female prison admissions in 2020 fit this category. Women often encounter a "revolving door" of short prison sentences – inadequate duration to take part in meaningful education, training or work opportunities.
Approximately 80% of women in prison worldwide have an recognizable psychiatric disorder. In Europe, suicide rates for women in prison are nine times higher than for the wider community, according to the WHO.
In reaction to growing statistics of incarcerated women and a lack of standards reflecting their needs, the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners (known as the Bangkok Rules) were adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. These rules require nations to establish non-imprisonment penalties and to ensure gender-sensitive treatment in prisons.
Offspring of Incarcerated Women
An calculated 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 mother in prison.
Apart from the evident parting and associated suffering that a prison sentence can cause, it is frequent for a woman to be deprived of guardianship of her children after just a short time in prison.
Various states allow for babies and young children to remain in correctional facilities with their mothers up to a certain age. Nonetheless, a early life in correctional facilities can harm a young person both physically and emotionally.
