Female criminal behavior has been commonly perceived as a less serious problem than male criminal behavior. Historically, women have been more likely to commit minor offenses and have made up only a small proportion of the offender population. Although women remain a relatively small number of all prisoners, these facts have concealed a trend in the rising percentage of female offenders, their participation in violent crime, and have inhibited the development of gender-specific programs to address the issue (Research on Women and Girls in the Criminal Justice System, National Institute of Justice, 1999).

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) publication, Prisoners in 2004, collected from the National Prisoner Statistics, which obtains yearend and midyear counts of prisoners from departments of corrections in each of the 50 States and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, at yearend 2002, there were 26,300 female prisoners incarcerated in State prison for a violent offense. Violent offenders accounted for 33% of the female prison population under State jurisdiction at yearend 2002 (Prisoners in 2004, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2005). ¹

The growth in the female offender population can be seen in each component of corrections. As of June 30, 2004, the number of women under State or Federal jurisdiction was 103,910, a 2.9% increase from June 30, 2003.  At the same time, there were an estimated 86,999 female jail inmates, about 12.3% of the jail population. Overall, about 8.6% of persons incarcerated in prison and jail were women (Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear, 2004, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2005). ²

According to the Annual Probation Survey and the Annual Parole Survey, which provide counts for the total number of persons supervised in the community and counts of the number entering and leaving supervision during the year, in 2004, about 1 of every 8 adults on parole (94,400) were women and almost 1 of every 4 adults on probation (957,600) were women.  Women have represented a growing percentage of both populations since 1995.  In 2004, women made up 12% of the parole population (up from 10% in 1995) and 23% of the probation population (up from 21% in 1995) (Probation and Parole in the United States, 2004, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2005). ³

According to data reported by local law enforcement agencies across the country to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR), females represented 23.2% of all arrests. In 2003, 20.4% of all female arrestees were juveniles under age 18 (Crime in the United States, 2003, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2004). ⁴

Many risk factors can contribute to women's criminal behavior, including substance abuse, mental illness, and spousal abuse. One of the most significant risk factors is prior victimization (Women Offenders: Programming Needs and Promising Approaches, National Institute of Justice, 1998). According to the 2002 Survey of Inmates in Local Jails, a national survey of jail inmates conducted every 5 to 6 years, 36% of female inmates reported they had been sexually abused in the past.  Among the women who knew their abuser, 26% said they had been physically or sexually abused by a parent or guardian, and 34% by a friend or acquaintance (Profile of Jail Inmates, 2002, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2004).  Furthermore, according to the 1998 National Council on Crime and Delinquency multidimensional study of girls in the California juvenile justice system, 92% of the juvenile female offenders interviewed in 1998 reported that they had been subjected to some form of emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse (Juvenile Justice Journal Volume VI, Number I, Investing in Girls: A 21st Century Strategy, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1999).

Although the rate of offenses for females remains much lower than those for men, many unique issues for women need to be addressed throughout the criminal justice system. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is developing training and technical assistance for elected officials and practitioners and has conducted research on the offending patterns of juvenile females. Although effective gender-specific programs have been established, only a small number of these promising programs are in practice across the United States (Juvenile Female Offenders: A Status of the States Report, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1998).

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¹ A more recent version of this report, Prisoners in 2006, is available from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).

² A more recent version of this report, Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2006, is available from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).

³ A more recent version of this report, Probation and Parole in the United States, 2006, is available from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).

⁴ A more recent version of this report, Crime in the United States, 2006, is available from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).