Changing Trends: An Empirical Analysis of Drug Legislation and Female Incarceration Rates in the US

• In Event: Women in Prison: Rates, Experiences, and Reentry

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to empirically evaluate the assertion that drug legislation introduced in the 1980s impacted female incarceration rates. Previous research contends that drug legislation introduced during that time period increased the likelihood of incarceration for female offenders. Few studies offer empirical support for this conclusion, however. This study utilizes archival data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics Survey of Inmates of State and Federal Correctional Facilities Series (1974 - 2004), Census of State and Federal Adult Correctional Facilities Series (1979 - 2000), and National Jail Census Series (1970 - 1999). An interrupted time series design is used to determine whether there was a change in the incarceration rate for female offenders after the introduction of new drug legislation.

Author

• Colleen Mair, University at Albany, SUNY