In the United States, almost all correctional facilities house many more men inmates than women inmates. The reason is due to there being more male offenders compared to women. Many think that female prisons are as harsh as male’s, whereas there are some major differences between male prisons and female prisons.
Even though female offenders will be punished according to their actions the same as male offenders, there are some major differences between both. If you are wondering what the differences are between male prisons and female prisons, you can find out the information about it in our post below. Okay, let’s check it out!
Differences Between Male Prisons and Female Prisons
It is known that a prison is a correctional facility that will be used to continue inmates of the justice system for a prolonged period of time. Every correctional facility will have some differences between each one, thus the correctional facilities are run by the state and are located within.
Either male or female will be taken to the prison after they have been convicted and sentenced. Of course, females will serve their sentence in a prison designed for women and male will perform in the male alternative.
Reportedly, there are only 170 female inmates out of around 4500 prisons in the United States. According to fairpunishment.org, there are some major differences between male prisons and female prisons that you have to know, here are they:
1. Security Level
The biggest difference between male prisons and female prisons are in the security level of those two prisons. The security level here refers to the dictation of the type and number of safety measures that apply in place to protect the public from the offenders.
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- Male prisons: Male prisons really have the high security level that is commonly built by tall stone walls, razor wire barriers or also armed guard towers.
- Female prisons: Female prisons will look more like a college campus with little houses or dormitories for the inmates, instead of cell blocks. Of course, those do not have the tall stone walls and razor wire barriers that you will find in the male prisons.
The reason why female’s prisons are less violent is due to there being simply fewer incarcerated people as a result of violent crime. One study found that as many as 60% of female inmates will have unhealthy substance use, while almost 75% live with a mental illness. The same research showed that the female’s crimes were often a direct result of those problems.
2. Reduced Violence
As we’ve mentioned, female inmates tend to be less violent offenders and their prisons see less violence within them. However, it does not mean that there is never any violence, but when violence occurs, it can be quickly cut out of a women’s facility. The violent inmate will frequently be taken into isolation or to a higher security women’s prison.
While male inmates are much more violent to one another and thus it will be much harder for prison guards to keep under control without the added security measures. Of course, it will be easier to keep men in prisons with higher security in place, leading to less injuries or fatalities of the inmates and also the prison workers.
According to some studies, the majority of women inmates had experienced abuse, whether it be physical or sexual. Female inmates will be more likely to be in prison because of property or drug offences than male inmates, instead of being more violent.
3. Crimes committed by the inmates
According to one study, it has indicated that 75% female inmates have mental health issues, while 60% have substance abuse issues. The study also showed that most crimes committed by women are a direct result of one of those issues.
Well, male inmates will be more likely to be serving time for violent crimes. Of course, it is such an umbrella term for crimes which threaten or commonly use force against the victim, a few examples include robbery, assault and murder.
The case of recidivism is more commonly found in male prisons that is otherwise known as repeated criminal activity. It means that male prisons will be more likely to house people serving their second, third, fourth sentence or even more.
Reportedly, female prisons are populated by first time inmates rather than repeat inmates. It’s such proof, along with the fact that the crimes are frequently drug related rather than violence. Furthermore, female sentences tend to be shorter than males.
4. Rehabilitation Services
Given that most female sentences are shorter, rehabilitation services in female’s prisons will be needed to prevent them from becoming repeat inmates after they are returned into society. Generally, female inmates are usually found to be single mothers. Of course, it further increases the need for rehabilitation programs, so that female inmates can return to their families without increasing their risk of returning to prison.
Otherwise, there are much less rehabilitation services that are offered compared to that in a male prison. Well, it may make sense as men are more likely to have longer sentences and thus, they will be separated from society for longer. However, there may still be a desperate need for more of those services in female’s prisons.
5. Conclusion
Given the fact that most crimes that are committed by females are drug related, of course there must be enough support to help them with possible addictions and relapse. The rates of depression are also higher, since there are higher rates of substance abuse among women inmates.
According to some studies, female offenders will be more likely to harm themselves than male inmates. It actually includes, but that’s not limited to, attempting suicide. Another important note is that approximately 60% of female inmates have diseases such as hepatitis and HIV.
Even though there are more differences between male prison and female prison, but there are also some similarities between both including the accommodation and security level, rehabilitation services and rates of violence.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
