Data Highlight: At a rate of 129, Oklahoma no longer has the highest rate of female incarceration in the world in 2019, overtaken by Idaho, with a rate of 138. Massachusetts remains the lowest, with a overall rate of just 10.111
DEFINITION
The number of women experiencing incarceration per every 100,000 women in 2019.109
Lookbook Vol. 2
Female Incarceration
OKLAHOMA
129 per 100,000 women
NATIONAL AVERAGE 54 per 100,000 women
Why We Care: The United States leads the world in the number of its citizens it incarcerates.109,111 Prior to this year, the state of Oklahoma incarcerated the most men and women in the U.S. per capita, and consequently the world. While we may have overcome this sinister distinction, we still incarcerate the third highest rate of men, and second highest rate of women. 110,111 When Oklahoma women are incarcerated they are unable to work, access comprehensive health and mental health care, and are separated from their families which can be traumatizing for children. Many women within the justice system have experienced trauma in their lives, and incarceration exposes women to further trauma, rather than the trauma-informed care and social support they need.110,111
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What We Can Do: - Advocate for continued reforms, increased use of diversionary programs so women aren’t separated from their children, and improvements to the oversized and punitive penal code
