Women Hit Hard by Drug War, ACLU SaysMarch 31, 2005
Research Summary
Women are often bit players in drug trafficking, but many have been imprisoned for long stretches, hurting both them and their children, according to a new report from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).The Associated Press reported March 17 that the ACLU report, "Caught in the Net," said that 101,000 women were in state and federal prisons in 2003, many on drug charges. That's an eight-fold increase in the female prison population since 1980.
"Drug convictions have caused the number of women behind bars to explode, leaving in the rubble displaced children and overburdened families," the report said.
"Many of the drug conspiracy and accomplice laws were created to go after the kingpins," said Lenora Lapidus, the ACLU women's rights project director. "But women who may simply be a girlfriend or wife are getting caught in the web as well, and sent to prison for very long times when all they may have done is answer the telephone."
The ACLU called for making prison a last resort for drug crimes, and instead investing more in addiction treatment and emphasizing keeping mothers and children connected. Treatment programs should be tailored to meet the unique needs of women, the report stressed.
"When there's a woman defendant with children, we generally try everything we can to put her into rehab rather than prison," said Michael Arcuri, district attorney in New York's Oneida County. "On the other hand, we're supposed to treat everyone the same. You see more women in prison because you see more women selling drugs. Some of them feel that, because we were softer on women in the past, they'll get some sort of easier treatment."
"It's not just an issue of drugs, but of embedded moral values," added Bruce Bullington, a Florida State University criminologist. "We demonize these women, and it comes back to haunt us in a variety of ways."
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