WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new fact sheet by The Sentencing Project underscores a dramatic surge in the number of women behind bars in the United States, with the incarcerated female population now more than seven times higher than in 1980, rising from 26,326 to 186,244 in 2023.
The fact sheet, authored by lead voting-rights campaign researcher Kristen M. Budd, Ph.D., Senior Research Analyst Joshua Rovner and Research Fellow Dinesh Napal, documents this more than 600 % increase between 1980 and 2023.
Though men still far outnumber women in prison, the rate of growth for female imprisonment has been roughly twice as high as that for men since 1980.
The report reveals that over 1 million women are currently under the supervision of the U.S. criminal justice system — including those in prison, jail, on probation or parole.
More than 62% of women in state prisons have a child under 18, highlighting the profound impact on families and children nationwide.
The data show that women in state prisons are considerably more likely than men to be locked up for drug or property offenses: 26% of incarcerated women had a drug offense conviction (versus 12% of men), and 18% were convicted of property crimes (also compared with 12% of men).
There are stark racial and ethnic disparities. In 2023, the imprisonment rate for Black women was 68 per 100,000 — 1.7 times the rate of white women (41 per 100,000). Latina women were imprisoned at 51 per 100,000, 1.2 times the rate for white women.
Between 2000 and 2023, the incarceration rate for Black women declined by 67%, while rates increased for white women by 21% and fell by 15% for Latina women — showing shifts in demographic patterns but persistent inequality.
Among youth in residential placement, girls remain a small minority — 15% — but are disproportionately detained for low-level “status offenses” such as curfew violations or running away.
As policymakers and advocates examine criminal justice reform, The Sentencing Project’s new fact sheet offers essential data on how incarceration trends have evolved for women — raising urgent questions about equity, family impact and the long-term effects of mass incarceration.
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