For many years now researchers, scientist, and sociologists, etc. have pinpointed that violent behavior is more prone to occur based on two main influences; biological and environmental factors. This goes back to the term of co-occurrence studied in The Web of Violence reading. We as a society are always trying to find the main reason as to why people commit violence, when put on trial serial killers, and their attorneys always use the plead that the defendant was raised in a violent, low income home, history of personality disorder, his life was filled with alcohol, drugs, and negligence, and so on. "A childhood history of violence is one of the strongest and best known factors for virtually every form of violence " (31).1.
Our prison systems are flooded with the worst of the worst; usually they're flooded with more male inmates then females. However, in recent years the female inmate population has increased, this is due mainly to the "war on drugs ", which means that more people are being charged with time in prison for small drug misdemeanors instead of being awarded intermediate punishments, such as house arrest, or out of prison rehabilitation programs. Many mothers are also receiving prison sentences because of their immigration status. The newest issue and statistic is that many of these female offenders are entering prisons while they're pregnant. Approximately, 70% of women in prison are already mothers;2 this is where the issue of co-occurrence and violence in the home begins to take place. As a result of the high incarceration rates for women, the children along with the mothers are being impacted by prison sentences. If a child comes from a home where his parents are in and out of the system, it will take a toll. It's no shocking matter that children of inmates are five to six times more likely to be imprisoned at some point in their life as well.3 .
There's a new program happening that allows incarcerated women to keep their newborns with them.
