The Imprisonment of African American Women

One out of every 18 African American women born in the United States can expect to go to jail at some point during her lifetime. There, she will likely be faced with overcrowded living conditions, inadequate health care, and few opportunities for improving her situation upon release. The first edition of this book, published in 1997, reviewed the disproportionate number of African American women making up the United States' prison population, looking particularly at how the nation's prison systems were ill-equipped to meet the basic needs of its ever-growing population. This book picks up where the first left off, revealing how the situation has gotten even more dire. Topics include reasons why young African American women are first drawn into criminal behavior; trends connecting incarceration to physical, emotional, or sexual abuse; the effects of incarceration on inmates' families and children; and possible preventative measures or alternatives to imprisonment.