Women’s prison and jail populations have grown sharply in the last several decades. And while the number of queer and especially trans people in prisons and jails is difficult to estimate, we know that the criminalization of sex work, HIV criminalization laws, and other policies have put these populations at higher risk of arrest.
Behind bars, these groups face unique injustices, like denial of appropriate healthcare, and neglect (or even punishment) of things like menstruation. Meanwhile, families and communities on the outside who depend on women lose that support when their loved ones go to prison. Below is our research on the policies that have put more women and LGBTQ+ people behind bars, and how mass incarceration has impacted them.
Key statistics:
Number of women and girls incarcerated in the U.S.: 190,600
Number of women booked into jails annually: 1.4 million
Percentage of women in U.S. prisons that are mothers: 58%
We rank U.S. states on their rates of women's incarceration, comparing states to each other and to countries around the world. The report also shows the growth of women's incarceration in the U.S. over the last century.
Our report breaks down where and why 190,600 women are locked up in the U.S. It also also explains the unique role of local jails in women's incarceration.
Our analysis of rare survey data shows how mass incarceration has been used to warehouse marginalized women, including those struggling with poverty, substance use disorders, and housing insecurity.
Our followup report to Beyond the Count explores the medical treatment of people in state prison, including how incarcerated women and expecting mothers fare.
Our report breaks down women's incarceration trends in state prisons for all 50 states since 1978, and identifies states where criminal justice reforms have left women behind.
We find that the ability to pay money bail is impossible for too many women because it represents almost a year of the typical female defendant's income.
We show that even before their incarceration, people in prison are much poorer than Americans of similar ages. This was the first report to provide national data on the pre-incarceration incomes of incarcerated women.
Briefings
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Menstruation as misconduct: How prisons punish people for having their periods, by Miriam Vishniac and Emily Widra, November 12, 2025 Our analysis of prison rules and sanctions across all fifty states and the federal system -- as well as accounts of incarcerated people -- reveal troubling trends in how the carceral system punishes people for a physiological process they have no control over.
Birth behind bars: Ten years of U.S. jail births covered in the news highlight horrific experiences and minimal data collection, by Leah Wang and Bianca Schindeler, July 1, 2025 For some of the thousands of pregnant people entering jails each year, at what might be their moment of greatest need -- going into labor -- jails turn a blind eye, harming mothers, newborns, and their families. The latest project from our partners at Advocacy and Research on Reproductive Wellness of Incarcerated People, or ARRWIP, illuminates these haunting stories and the dire need for data and education about pregnancy in jails.
Rise in jail deaths is especially troubling as jail populations become more rural and more female, by Leah Wang, June 23, 2021 New data show record high deaths of people locked up in jail, as jail populations have shifted toward smaller, rural jails and growing numbers of women. A lack of accountability and acknowledgement of women's unique disadvantages all but ensures more deaths to come.
Prisons neglect pregnant women in their healthcare policies, by Roxanne Daniel, December 5, 2019 Our 50-state survey finds that in spite of national standards, most states lack important policies on prenatal care and nutrition for pregnant women.
The dismal state of transgender incarceration policies, by Elliot Oberholtzer, November 8, 2017 We evaluated the current transgender and gender non-conforming policies of 21 states in terms of PREA standards, World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care, and correctional staff training and treatment of transgender individuals. All but one come up short.
LGBTQ youth are at greater risk of homelessness and incarceration, by Daiana Griffith, January 22, 2019 Homelessness is the greatest predictor of involvement with the juvenile justice system. And since LGBTQ youth compose 40% of the homeless youth population, they are at an increased risk of incarceration.
In stark contrast to incarcerated men, who are mostly held in state prisons, close to half of all incarcerated women are in local jails. We explain why so many people are in local jails, and how jails separate families.
Three out of four women under correctional control are not behind bars, but on probation. Our research uncovers the harms of community supervision.
Research Library
Didn't find what you were looking for? We also curate a database of virtually all the empirical criminal justice research available online. See the sections of our Research Library on women and LGBTQ issues.
Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2024
Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2024
Beyond the Count: A deep dive into state prison populations
Chronic Punishment: The unmet health needs of people in state prisons
Chronic Punishment: The unmet health needs of people in state prisons
The Gender Divide: Tracking women's state prison growth
The Gender Divide: Tracking women's state prison growth
Detaining the Poor: How money bail perpetuates an endless cycle of poverty and jail time
Detaining the Poor: How money bail perpetuates an endless cycle of poverty and jail time
Prisons of Poverty: Uncovering the pre-incarceration incomes of the imprisoned
Prisons of Poverty: Uncovering the pre-incarceration incomes of the imprisoned
Jails and bail
Jails and bail
Health and drug policy
Probation and parole
Probation and parole
