Female Offenders and Drug Abuse

As of 2004, one out of eight parolees were women, according to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service.

The Facts

• The number of female criminal offenders rose in the significantly in the 1990s and early 2000s. The number of adult female offenders who were incarcerated in 2005 had risen by more than twice as much as the number in 1995. The increase for males was by only about one third, according the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Drug Abuse and Crime

• Drug abuse lowers inhibitions, causes changes in brain chemistry and leads to crime. According to one study from the Justice Policy Institute, increasing the number of criminal offenders enrolled in drug rehabilitation programs can decrease crime rates.

Considerations

• Female offenders have often been the victims of physical and sexual abuse and may have mental health issues. Some female offenders may be using illicit substances as a way of self-medicating their emotional issues. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, about half of female offenders are likely to have been victims of physical or sexual abuse.