There is a significant relationship between race and incarceration that has been prevalent for centuries; tracing back to practices of enslavement and servitude. Minority women, especially Black women, are at greater risk of violence (trans black women even greater) and often make contact with a criminal justice system that was not founded in their protection, but their criminalization. The proof is in the numbers, with the incarceration rate of black women rising exponentially faster than their white counterparts.

There are currently 1.2 million women under supervision -

including those who are currently incarcerated and women on probation and parole. Female imprisonment growth rate has been twice as high as that of men since 1980, and that rate has risen over 700% since then. In a 2018 study by the Office of the Inspector General in the U.S. Department of Justice concluded that the needs of incarcerated women are not being met. Though the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) adopted gender responsive programs to address these needs, the study found that the BOP lacked a strategic approach for supporting women.

Of the current population of women who are incarcerated, 77% have been a victim of IPV.

Women who are or have been incarcerated experience higher rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) throughout their lifetime compared to the general population. IPV is a global health crisis that has major health consequences disproportionately impacting women, especially incarcerated women. IPV has a multitude of effects on both the individual and community level.

Survivors of IPV have been shown to experience higher rates of chronic pain and chronic stress, placing them at greater risk for hypertension, high cholesterol, and heart disease.

There is also an association between IPV and increased risky behavior, such as unprotected sex and abuse of alcohol and other substances. This association can be due to coercive behavior from the perpetrator, such as coercion to partake in unprotected sex. Increased risky behavior can also be the result of impaired decision making due to psychological trauma or PTSD. Furthermore, IPV can also result in poor pregnancy-related outcomes, including pregnancy-associated death of mother and/or child, preterm birth, low birth weight, and postpartum depression.

Experiencing IPV is strongly associated with serious mental health outcomes such as depression, PTSD, and suicide.

This association is supported by the finding that incarcerated women suffer from mental health problems to a higher degree than for both incarcerated women and the general population. 

When considering the myriad negative health effects due to intimate partner violence and the prevalence of IPV nationwide, particularly amongst women who have been incarcerated, IPV places a tremendous burden on the healthcare system, from the emergency room to the therapist’s office. Many of these health outcomes are preventable if survivors are able to get the support needed to recognize situations of IPV and to develop self-esteem and well-being. The Light to Life programming for Womxn’s Cohort is working toward protecting women from entering relationships that are at risk for IPV, and thus prevent long-term negative health impacts that result from further victimization.