Though women remain in the distinct minority in the incarcerated population, since 1995, the annual rate of growth in the number of female inmates has averaged 5.4 percent, compared to a 3.6 percent average increase in male inmates. ^[1]   These women have unique needs, especially involving children, poverty, healthcare, and cultural issues. (See Policy Statement 13, Children and Families, and Policy Statement 34, Children and Family Systems, for further elaboration of these issues.)

Findings of a recent national assessment of state and federal correctional agency practices for classifying women offenders recognize the need to improve existing classification systems for women. Many existing systems assign female offenders to unnecessarily high custody levels. The study also found that staff may need to refine responses to women, who tend to ask more questions, want to talk things over, and challenge decisions. ^[2]  

Administrators should recognize the higher prevalence of certain risk factors and needs among female offenders. A history of physical or sexual abuse is three times more likely among female prisoners than it is among their male counterparts. Women also often enter jail or prison in poor health and experience more frequent and serious health problems than men in those settings. [25] About 20 to 35 percent of women, compared to seven to ten percent of men, go to prison sick call daily. Women also have significant reproductive health issues. About five percent of women entering prison are pregnant, and six percent enter jail while pregnant. ^[3]   Sexually transmitted diseases are another frequent heath problem for female prisoners: the number of incarcerated women infected with HIV has increased 69 percent since 1991, while the number of infected male prisoners decreased 22 percent. ^[4]   Administrators should ensure that intake processes account for the increased risk factors of women, including ensuring that females entering the correctional facility receive testing in risk areas specific to, or prevalent among, women.

As noted in Recommendation f, above, though children's issues may be a fundamental concern of incarcerated women, they may be reluctant to tell corrections staff about these issues because of concerns over having their children transferred into the foster care system or losing parental rights. On average, women in prison serve 19 months, a length of time which makes termination of parental rights under current law a real possibility for many women inmates. ^[5]   Assessment staff should be sensitive to the fears and needs of this population; questions regarding family and children must be posed in a way that encourages the sharing of information. Administrators should develop guidelines (if they are not already in place) for sharing information provided by inmates with family protective services, foster care, and other agencies; and these parameters must be made clear to prisoners before personal information is elicited from them. Information collected during intake can help correctional administrators to determine the aggregate need for programs that sustain parent-child relationships, and can guide individual referrals by intake staff.