Australia - 'A mass imprisonment crisis': why more women are doing time

S.J.B.

S.J.B.

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'A mass imprisonment crisis': why more women are doing time
Calla Wahlquist
The Guardian
November 16th, 2020
Seven years ago, Rhonda Davis went to a party with her partner. She fell asleep at the wheel on the drive home. He died, and she was sentenced to five years in prison, half of which had to be served as hard time.

The Kamillaroi woman was part of the fastest-growing subset of Australia’s prison population. She is one of six women to write about her experience behind bars for a new series by Guardian Australia.

It comes as a new report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that women in prison have experienced disproportionately high rates of homelessness and insecure housing, mental health issues, drug and alcohol addiction, chronic illness, and physical trauma. And just 17% of female prisoners have finished year 12.

Although women and girls make up just 8% of the total prison population in Australia, the female prison population increased 64% between 2009 and 2019, while the male prison population grew by 45%.

...

The tightening of bail laws, use of mandatory sentencing, and a shift for longer sentences for drug offences are among the reasons that the female prison population may be increasing, says the president of the Australian Law Council, Pauline Wright.
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Read the full story here.
 
"The tightening of bail laws, use of mandatory sentencing, and a shift for longer sentences for drug offences are among the reasons that the female prison population may be increasing, says the president of the Australian Law Council, Pauline Wright."
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That's nonsense. The only longer sentences I've heard are for big time dealers, I've heard the opposite for possession type offences.
 
Maybe it shows the law starting to be less lenient on women just for being women, particularly when as mentioned they currently make up just 8% of the total prison population. An increase of 64% in the women's population in prison is actually a much smaller increase numbers-wise than the 45% increase in male prison population when the numbers were already so much higher.
 
Flynnal said:
That's nonsense. The only longer sentences I've heard are for big time dealers, I've heard the opposite for possession type offences.
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probably some of the increase is from drug mules

nationalpost.com

Canadian agreed to be a drug mule so she could take selfies. Now, she's getting eight years in prison

Melina Roberge, 24, was recruited to smuggle cocaine on a cruise ship to Australia by her 'sugar daddy,' she said. She agreed because she wanted Instagram attention
nationalpost.com nationalpost.com
 
Sounds about right. Drug mules are acting as traffickers. And it is one of the most serious drug offences so no surprises that more of these mules are ending up behind bars.
 
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