Correctional healthcare systems were never designed with women’s needs in mind. This gap is especially devastating when it comes to mental health care. For many incarcerated women, jails and prisons have become default psychiatric institutions—places where mental illness is punished rather than healed.
Correctional facilities have become the largest providers of mental health services in the United States, yet they are ill-equipped to meet the complex needs of incarcerated women. Women in jails and prisons experience disproportionately high rates of mental illness, trauma, and co-occurring disorders, but often face punitive responses rather than therapeutic care.
Key Data and Realities
- Approximately 43% of people in state prisons have been diagnosed with a mental disorder, with similar rates in local jails (Prison Policy Initiative).
- One-third of incarcerated individuals with chronic mental illness receive no treatment during incarceration.
- Women offenders report higher incidences of serious mental illness compared to men (James and Glaze, 2006; Steadman et al., 2009).
- Police and correctional staff frequently respond to mental health crises with incarceration or force, perpetuating cycles of punishment rather than healing.
The Cycle of Criminalization
Women often enter the criminal legal system as a direct result of untreated mental health conditions and complex trauma histories. These experiences shape behaviors such as emotional distress, substance use, or self-harm, which are frequently misunderstood and criminalized rather than met with care. This criminalization perpetuates a cycle where women are repeatedly incarcerated without receiving the therapeutic support needed to address the underlying causes.
The correctional system’s punitive responses to mental health crises—ranging from isolation to forceful interventions—further entrench trauma and hinder recovery. For many women, incarceration becomes less about justice and more about managing symptoms in an environment ill-equipped to provide healing. This cycle disproportionately affects women, whose mental health needs are often more acute and intertwined with histories of abuse and neglect, yet remain largely unaddressed within correctional settings.
This cycle is fueled by a lack of gender-responsive mental health care and trauma-informed approaches within correctional facilities. Women’s behaviors, often manifestations of deep-seated trauma and untreated illness, are met with punishment rather than support, reinforcing patterns of retraumatization and recidivism. The absence of adequate mental health services and community-based alternatives leaves many women trapped in a revolving door of incarceration, where healing is deferred and justice remains elusive.
Emotional and Spiritual Toll
Witnessing this cycle takes a real emotional toll. The ongoing trauma, punishment, and neglect leave deep scars—not only on the women caught in the system but also on those who advocate alongside them. It can be exhausting and disheartening to see healing so often replaced by harm.
This issue goes beyond policy; it touches on the dignity of each person. It calls for a response grounded in compassion and a vision of justice that honors the whole person, not just their circumstances.
Calls for Reform
- Expand access to gender-responsive mental health services within correctional settings.
- Train staff in trauma-informed care to reduce retraumatization and improve outcomes.
- Develop community-based alternatives to incarceration for women in psychiatric crisis.
References
James, D. J., & Glaze, L. E. (2006). Mental health problems of prison and jail inmates (NCJ 213600). Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice. https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/mental-health-problems-prison-and-jail-inmates
Steadman, H. J., Osher, F. C., Robbins, P. C., Case, B., & Samuels, S. (2009). Prevalence of serious mental illness among jail inmates. Psychiatric Services, 60(6), 761–765. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.60.6.761
On (In)justice 