Women in the California State Penitentiary System.
In the mid 1980's mandatory sentencing laws took effect, thus rapidly increasing the female population in California prisons. The incarceration rate for women still pales in comparison to the male prison population, but the rates for women are steadily increasing. .
According to the Criminal Justice Consortium of the California Department of Corrections, in 1996 77.6 percent of women in California Prisons were incarcerated for non-violent offenses. Most crimes are drug related or property crimes, such as check forgery and illegal credit card use. Of those charged with violent crimes, the majority of women were either defending themselves or their children. In California there are over 600 women incarcerated for killing in self-defense. The average sentence for killing a husband is twice as long than for killing a wife.
Nationally, women prisoners are usually minorities, with African-American making up 46 percent of the female prison population, while they only make up 13 percent of California's females. Hispanic females make up about 14 percent and Caucasian women about 36 percent of females incarcerated nationwide. Racism is also profound in the judicial system when it comes to sentencing women. African-American women are twice as likely to be convicted of killing their husband than a Caucasian woman. African American women are also more likely to receive stiffer fines and more jail time then white women. Female prisoners are more likely to be poor. In fact more than half (53 percent) of women entering prison were unemployed at the time of their arrest. .
Women spend about 17 hours a day in their cell and are allowed one hour of exercise time whereas males spend roughly 15 hours a day in their cells and are allowed one and a half hors of exercise per day. .
California operates four large women's facilities. The California Institution for women in Frontera opened in 1952 and was originally named "frontera," meaning, "new beginning" since it was the only prison for female felons until 1987.
