Report: Female inmate population is increasing

Article here. Excerpt:

'Men still significantly outnumber women at the state's prisons and county jails, but it's women whose incarceration rate is climbing the fastest, according to a study released yesterday by The New Hampshire Women's Policy Institute.

Drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, and unemployment are behind the increase, the study found. But those factors - and child-care responsibilities - also complicate the treatment and rehabilitation needs for women, who more often than men are their children's main or only provider.

If the trend continues, the study said, six of the 10 county jails will have to add 52 beds just for female inmates by 2012. That's expensive, not just for taxpayers, but for children and families separated by jail and prison sentences, lawmakers and corrections officials said yesterday.'