Women’s health must be a criminal justice concern

One of the most compelling arguments for improvements to healthcare for individuals who are incarcerated is the fact that “[a]t least 95% of all state prisoners will be released…”1 Further, pursuant to a 2014 study by the Sentencing Project, more than 215,332 women and girls are now incarcerated in the U.S.2 This figure represents both a record percentage of the total prison population in the U.S. and an eight-fold rise in the incarceration of females since 1980.3 Critically, more than two thirds of these women are mothers and 60% of these women have a minor child.4 Based on these figures, it is clear that women’s health is not only a community health concern, but a criminal justice concern