Two-thirds of women doing time in federal prison are behind bars for nonviolent drug offenses, and the vast majority of them have children they can’t even see.  That’s not family values.

 

The perceived targets of drug law enforcement are men, but many of its victims are women. Women, and particularly women of color, are disproportionately affected by social stigma, by laws that punish those unable or unwilling to inform on others, by regulations that bar people with a drug conviction from obtaining (or that require a drug test to receive) public assistance, and by a drug treatment system designed for men.

 

Drug war victimization of women often bodes ill for their families and children as well. Women can face drug convictions simply for household association with a boyfriend or husband who engages in drug activity.  Largely as a result of draconian drug laws, women are now a fast growing segment of the U.S. prison population. The Drug Policy Alliance is committed to addressing the needs of women impacted by the drug war and to ending the discriminatory policies that are putting more and more women behind bars.

 

Learn more about our priorities for women and gender issues.