Male vs. Female Offenders
The prison world is predominately male dominated. As the years go by, female incarceration levels have been rapidly increasing. The prisons in early days didn’t have to worry about dealing with two different types of inmates as there were not that many females incarcerated. While male and female inmates do have some similarities, they also have some distinct differences. The way they conduct themselves in prison are different; as are they way they interact with other inmates. Males typically are in prison for more violent crimes than women, making the maximum security prisons mainly male. Throughout this paper, these differences and a few similarities are discussed.
MALE INMATES
“We know how hard it is to help prisoners become better men, and many penal authorities have given up too easily on that task. But whatever prisons do, they must not make men needlessly worse.” ~ John P. Conrad
Male inmates have predominately made up the majority of prison populations dating back as far as prisons go. Each year, the number of male inmates gradually grows. Since 1995, the male population in prisons has grown 26%. With the ever growing population of males alone, overcrowding in the nation’s prisons is becoming an issue, especially when almost half of the crimes for which males were sent to prison are violent in nature. Violent offenses can include homicide, rape, manslaughter, aggravated assault, robbery, etc. This brings the overcrowded male prisons to a dangerous level. The overcrowding and citizen alarm about violence in the community have tended to force correctional administrators to find ways to release those men considered least dangerous back into the community (Allen et al. 314).
Many male offenders were drug and alcohol abusers before they were sentenced. For example, in 1997 almost one third of the men in prison had been drinking at the time of their current offense and more than one third were under the influence of drugs. These issues have contributed
MALE INMATES
“We know how hard it is to help prisoners become better men, and many penal authorities have given up too easily on that task. But whatever prisons do, they must not make men needlessly worse.” ~ John P. Conrad
Male inmates have predominately made up the majority of prison populations dating back as far as prisons go. Each year, the number of male inmates gradually grows. Since 1995, the male population in prisons has grown 26%. With the ever growing population of males alone, overcrowding in the nation’s prisons is becoming an issue, especially when almost half of the crimes for which males were sent to prison are violent in nature. Violent offenses can include homicide, rape, manslaughter, aggravated assault, robbery, etc. This brings the overcrowded male prisons to a dangerous level. The overcrowding and citizen alarm about violence in the community have tended to force correctional administrators to find ways to release those men considered least dangerous back into the community (Allen et al. 314).
Many male offenders were drug and alcohol abusers before they were sentenced. For example, in 1997 almost one third of the men in prison had been drinking at the time of their current offense and more than one third were under the influence of drugs. These issues have contributed
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