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– MARISSA J. WEEKES AND ABDUL SULAYMAN / TRIBUNE STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS |
| The Riverside facility, left, in Philadelphia is responsible for holding the area's female population. Some say a cell, right, is nowhere a woman should be regardless of race. |
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| Breaking down the facts: |
| Characteristics of female inmates serving sentences |
| • Race and ethnic origin |
| While nearly two-thirds of women under probation supervision are white, nearly two-thirds of those confined in local jails and state and federal prisons are minority and Black, Hispanic and other races. Hispanics account for about 1 in 7 women in state prisons, but nearly 1 in 3 female prisoners in federal custody. |
| • Age |
| Women in prisons, both state and federal, are older than their counterparts in local jails or under probation supervision. While about 1 in 5 women on probation or in local jails is under the age 25, 1 in 8 state prisoners and 1 in 11 federal prisoners are of this age. Nearly a quarter of federal prison inmates are at least 45 years old. |
| • Marital status |
| Adult women under correctional care, custody or control are substantially more likely than the equivalent general population to have never been married. Nearly half the women in both state prisons and local jails have never been married. |
| Source: United States Department of Justice |
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| Female inmate population continues to rise at faster rate: |
| • From June 30, 2004, to June 30, 2005, the number of women under the jurisdiction of state and federal prison authorities grew from 102,691 to 106,174, an increase of 3.4 percent. At midyear 2005, California, Texas, Florida and the federal system housed 4 of every 10 female inmates. Since 1995 the annual rate of growth in the number of female inmates has averaged 4.7 percent, higher than the 3.0 percent average increase of male inmates. Women accounted for 7.0 percent of all inmates at midyear 2005, up from 6.1 percent at yearend 1995. |
| Source: United States Department of Justice |
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| Some suggestions on how to succeed in finding a job if you have a record |
| • Prepare while you are in prison: |
| If you are currently incarcerated, take advantage of opportunities to get your G.E.D., start or complete your college education, or get vocational training. Good preparation is especially important if you have been away from the outside world for an extended time, if you have limited job skills and experience, or if you will not be able to return to your previous area of employment (for example, if you were a bank teller and were convicted of theft, you probably will no longer be able to work in banking). |
| • Take advantage of education or job training: |
| Government agencies and nonprofit organizations provide a host of opportunities for all job-seekers to get more training or education. The experience and skills you develop in these programs can make a big difference in the success of your job search. There are also such programs targeted specifically to people who have recently been released from prison. These programs usually also help you find a job during the program and after completion. |
| • Eliminate jobs for which your record will disqualify you: |
| Your record may automatically disqualify you for some positions, especially government jobs requiring security clearances, military jobs, positions with fiduciary responsibility (i.e. insurance or banking), and jobs working with children. |
| • Be honest about your history: |
| It can be tempting to lie when an application asks if you’ve been arrested or convicted of a crime. Avoid the temptation: not only is this dishonest, chances are the lie will be discovered. Most employers now conduct some sort of background check, and if they find that you have been dishonest on the application you will almost certainly not be hired. If you’ve already been hired and the lie is discovered later, you can be fired for it. In addition, lying on some applications, such as for military enlistment, is a criminal offense. |
| • Employ yourself: |
| If you’re willing to work extra hard and you have marketable skills or abilities, you may be able to make your own opportunities. You could start a yard maintenance business or provide contract IT services to companies, for example—you’re limited only by your imagination. |
| Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and PrivacyRights.org |
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| There is assistance for inmates, who are willing to get back on their feet |
Women’s Prison Association
110 Second Ave.
New York, NY 10003
Phone: (212) 674-1163
Fax: (212) 677-1981
Executive Director Phone: (212) 674-1163, ext. 17 |
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The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program
521 Gladfelter Hall
Department of Criminal Justice
Temple University
1115 W. Berks St.
Philadelphia PA 19122
Phone: (215) 204-5163
Fax: (215) 204-3872
E-mail: inout@temple.edu |
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The Philadelphia Prison System
The system operates a number of programs for inmates. Participation in a program is mandatory for all inmates who have been sentenced; inmates who are awaiting trial or sentencing are entitled to participate in a program.
Social Work: (215) 685-7113
Human Resources for OPTIONS: (215) 685-7111
PHILACOR: (215) 685-7134
Prison Health Services: (215) 335-5872
Vocational Education: (215) 685-7114 |
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| • The Philadelphia Community Legal Services |
Center City
Community Legal Services Inc.
1424 Chestnut St., Philadelphia PA
(215) 981-3700
South Philadelphia
Community Legal Services Inc.
42 S 15th St., Philadelphia PA
(215) 564-0845
North Philadelphia
Community Legal Services Inc.
3638 N Broad St., Philadelphia PA
(215) 227-2400 |
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