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.
Alabama’s 2006 chemical endangerment law was passed to deter people from bringing children to places where controlled substances are manufactured, such as methamphetamine laboratories. The statute makes no mention of pregnancy, pregnant women, or unborn children. That has not stopped prosecutors in Alabama from arresting and prosecuting over 60 Alabama mothers under this law for continuing their pregnancies to term in spite of a drug problem.
Alabama’s 2006 chemical endangerment law was passed to deter people from bringing children to places where controlled substances are manufactured, such as methamphetamine laboratories. The statute makes no mention of pregnancy, pregnant women, or unborn children. That has not stopped prosecutors in Alabama from arresting and prosecuting over 60 Alabama mothers under this law for continuing their pregnancies to term in spite of a drug problem.
Legislators appreciate hearing from their constituents, and they are elected to represent our views. Always give your legislator your name, address, and telephone number so that they know you are one of their constituents. Be sure to include this information whether you visit in person, call, or write.
When you contact your legislators, a short sentence or two about why you personally support or oppose a certain proposal is fine.
Most importantly, always be courteous and clear when communicating with your legislators. Remember, legislators are people, too!
Families Against Mandatory Minimums is the national voice for fair and proportionate sentencing laws. We shine a light on the human face of sentencing, advocate for state and federal sentencing reform, and mobilize thousands of individuals and families whose lives are adversely affected by unjust sentences.
The Sentencing Project is a national organization working for a fair and effective criminal justice system by promoting reforms in sentencing law and practice, and alternatives to incarceration.
More and more women — mothers, grandmothers, wives, daughters, and sisters — are doing hard prison time all across the United States. Many of them are facing the prospect of years, decades, even lifetimes behind bars. Oddly, there’s been little public discussion about the dramatic increase of women in the prison system. What exactly is happening here, and why?
The answers are in Women Behind Bars, in which investigative journalist Silja Talvi sheds light on why American girls and women are being locked up at such unprecedented rates.
WPA is a service and advocacy organization committed to helping women with criminal justice histories realize new possibilities for themselves and their families. Our program services make it possible for women to obtain work, housing, and health care; to rebuild their families; and to participate fully in civic life. Through the Institute on Women & Criminal Justice, WPA pursues a rigorous policy, advocacy, and research agenda to bring new perspectives to public debates on women and criminal justice.
National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) works to secure the human and civil rights, health and welfare of all women, focusing particularly on pregnant and parenting women, and those who are most vulnerable - low income women, women of color, and drug-using women.
Need-to-know facts about women, prison and the drug war.
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