Women's prison capital
That Oklahoma puts more women in prison than any other place on the globe may shock some, but isn't new, said Susan Sharp, a professor of sociology and women's studies at the University of Oklahoma. Nationally, Oklahoma has held that top ranking for 14 of the last 15 years.
[Broken External Image]
Sharp says the imprisonment of women is due in part to the state's culture and history, including a wide conservative streak that favors retributive justice.
"We are just harsher," she said.
Others contend that Oklahoma doesn't have the penal system that it wants but has been stuck with one that has proved, for reasons of politics, to be nearly impervious to meaningful reform. In their view, the root cause for the high rate of female incarceration can be found in the criminal code, particularly its severity toward drug offenders.
Laura Pitman, the DOC's deputy director of female offender operations, considers the high incarceration rate a public health problem masquerading solely as a crime problem because about 40 percent of Oklahoma's female prison population have been charged with drug offenses.
Improving access to drug treatment and creating more alternatives to prison for offenders with substance abuse problems, advocates argue, would not only reduce recidivism rates for offenders, but would better serve the community now and in the future.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20110130_11_A1_CUTLIN578670
That Oklahoma puts more women in prison than any other place on the globe may shock some, but isn't new, said Susan Sharp, a professor of sociology and women's studies at the University of Oklahoma. Nationally, Oklahoma has held that top ranking for 14 of the last 15 years.
[Broken External Image]
Sharp says the imprisonment of women is due in part to the state's culture and history, including a wide conservative streak that favors retributive justice.
"We are just harsher," she said.
Others contend that Oklahoma doesn't have the penal system that it wants but has been stuck with one that has proved, for reasons of politics, to be nearly impervious to meaningful reform. In their view, the root cause for the high rate of female incarceration can be found in the criminal code, particularly its severity toward drug offenders.
Laura Pitman, the DOC's deputy director of female offender operations, considers the high incarceration rate a public health problem masquerading solely as a crime problem because about 40 percent of Oklahoma's female prison population have been charged with drug offenses.
Improving access to drug treatment and creating more alternatives to prison for offenders with substance abuse problems, advocates argue, would not only reduce recidivism rates for offenders, but would better serve the community now and in the future.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20110130_11_A1_CUTLIN578670
