HARD HIT: The Growth in the Imprisonment of Women, 1977-2004

May 2006 HARD HIT: The Growth in the Imprisonment of Women, 1977?2004The number of women imprisoned in the United States has grown from 11,212 in 1977, to 96,125 in 2004. In 1997, the female imprisonment rate was 10 per every 100,000 women, to 64 per every 100,000 women in 2004. State and regional variances exist. For example, in 2004 in Oklahoma, 129 of every 100,000 women were imprisoned. In 2004 in Massachusetts and Rhode Island the imprisonment rate was only 11 per 100,000 women. The Mountain and Southern states have higher incarceration rates . . .