From Human Impact:
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report aims to center the experiences of people incarcerated in California
women’s prisons, which remain a serious and entrenched public health crisis.
According to data from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
(CDCR), in 2022, there were 3,699 people incarcerated in women’s prisons in
California. Due to the way that racism and transphobia permeate the criminal legal
system, from policing to the courts to incarceration and beyond, Black people and
transgender people are more severely criminalized and experience a dis- proportionately higher rate of incarceration. In 2022, 25% of people in prison in California were Black, even though Black people make up only 6.5% of the
California population. According to a survey administered by CDCR, almost 2,000
transgender people are incarcerated in California prisons.
This report — informed by public health research alongside interviews and survey
responses from people currently and formerly incarcerated in women’s prisons —
exposes the catastrophic health harms of incarceration in women’s prisons and
provides evidence in support of investments in health-promoting social
determinants of health instead of incarceration.
The criminalization of trauma and gender identity are major drivers of
incarceration. Research shows that 77% to 90% of people incarcerated in women’s
prisons report having experienced prior emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse.
A disproportionate percentage of transgender people also report significant trauma
prior to incarceration, including experiences of bullying, family rejection and
isolation, eviction, criminalization, and mistreatment by police. Each of these factors is associated with higher rates of incarceration, primarily due to a lack of investment in community-based mental health support services and non-carceral
violence intervention. Continue reading >>>
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