Women inmates on rise
A record number of women are behind bars due to a crackdown on fraud. There are now 3310 female inmates in Australia — up two thirds on a decade ago. While female prisoners represent eight per cent of the overall prison population, 28.7 per cent are serving time for social security fraud.
A RECORD number of women are behind bars due to a crackdown on fraud.
There are now 3310 female inmates in Australia – up twothirds on a decade ago.
While female prisoners represent 8 per cent of the overall prison population, 28.7 per cent are serving time for social security fraud.
The Australian Institute of Criminology found women were twice as likely to be convicted of welfare fraud as men.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics and AIC also found:
■ The women’s prison population had increased 65 per cent in 10 years and at a greater rate than the men’s population, which had increased by 50 per cent in the same period.
■ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women were the fastest-growing prison group, 21 times more likely to be jailed than non-indigenous women.
■ About 60 per cent of the women in prison were mothers or child carers, while 80 per cent of indigenous women in prison were mothers.
■ Repeated studies had found up to 90 per cent of prisoners had experienced abuse in their lives from a young age.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, who made up 2 per cent of Australia’s female adult population but 34 per cent of the female adult prison population, were disproportionately affected by serving sentences for low-level offending, such as failing to pay a fine.
However, experts warned overusing incarceration could have major detrimental and intergenerational consequences.
“Women in prison – on the whole – come from very disadvantaged backgrounds,” said social justice advocate and UNSW criminologist Professor Eileen Baldry.
“Many of them have not finished school, by far the majority of them have children.”
Each prisoner cost taxpayers close to $110,000 a year.
At present, there were 3310 female inmates in Australia – an alarming jump of 65 per cent in the past 10 years.