War on Drugs

Academia has a duty to shed light on the voices of micro audiences, especially those stripped of humanity as a result of a system that neglects to balance punishment with the opportunity for redemption. Let’s delve into the deplorable reality incarcerated women are subject to given that they are the fastest growing segment of the prison population increasing at approximately double the rate of men since 1985. Research on female imprisonment is crucial to understanding the comprehensive reverberations of mass incarceration and to disentangling the practices that precede criminalization. From an absolutionist perspective, policy that works to reduce and ostensibly eradicate the repercussions that the carceral system reaps on our society can no longer deem this augmenting population irrelevant. Drawing attention to the necessity of research surrounding female incarceration is designed to underscore the shadow system of laws and regulations that dehumanize those behind bars and profit off the misfortune of their loved ones utilizing mandatory sentencing laws and restrictions on prison visitations.