Locked up in America: new reports hit at costs of incarcerating women
Summary
Two new reports from the Council on Criminal Justice examine the high costs of imprisoning women in the United States. They find that incarcerating women is much more expensive than men due to health needs and care responsibilities, and reducing women’s prison time by half could save money with little effect on crime rates.Key Facts
- The number of women in U.S. prisons has grown over 600% since 1980.
- It costs about $87,000 to $122,000 per year to imprison each woman, compared to $70,000 for each man.
- Women in prison need more specialized healthcare, like pregnancy care, which increases expenses.
- By 2035, incarcerating women could cost up to $34 billion annually.
- Reducing women’s prison time by 50% would only slightly increase arrests—mostly for nonviolent crimes—and save millions in Illinois and North Carolina.
- Savings from reducing women’s prison time do not include lost household work like caregiving and cooking, which is valued at about $2.8 billion annually.
- Most incarcerated women are mothers, and their imprisonment disrupts family stability more than when men are imprisoned.
- Reducing incarceration for women could help families and cut costs without harming public safety.
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