Assessing the Socioeconomic Determinants of Women's Incarceration Rates in the United States

• In Event: Geography of Incarceration

Abstract

Women’s incarceration rates in the United States have decreased significantly in the last two decades, but trends vary by state and by race. Very few studies have examined what accounts for these changes, but prior research and theory has linked changes in women’s involvement in the criminal justice system to socioeconomic predictors such as poverty, unemployment, social welfare policies, and the increasing participation of women in the labor force. Building on this literature, the current study examines the effects of socioeconomic characteristics on women’s prison admission rates over time, by state, with a focus on the effects of gender equality. This study also examines how these socioeconomic effects differ for women by race.

Authors

• Gift Onwuadiamu, University of Delaware

• Rodney L. Engen, University of Arkansas