BCRW

Q1: Why should we pay close attention to the intersection(s) between gender and criminalization? #InterruptingCriminalizationpic.twitter.com/xEsNunAZfQ

A1: Women are the fastest growing prison & jail populations for the past 4 decades, outpacing growth of men's incarcerated by 50%. Black women continue to be incarcerated at 2x the rate of white women. 1 in 2 Black trans women will face incarceration. #InterruptingCriminalizationpic.twitter.com/87578D8Nrx

Q2: What are some of the unique aspects of women’s criminalization? #InterruptingCriminalization (img: @PrisonPolicy)pic.twitter.com/auL4iVriJO

A2: According to @PrisonPolicy 250,000 women are in prisons, jails & detention centers across the country. 80% of women who are criminalized are not incarcerated: 1.3 million women are on probation & parole. We need to know more about this population. #InterruptingCriminalizationpic.twitter.com/1OhUshs272

A2: LGBTQ people are disproportionately represented in women’s prisons. @WilliamsPolicy found that 42% of people in women’s prisons had a same sex relationship before incarceration. 1 in 2 Black trans women report incarceration in their lifetime. #InterruptingCriminalizationpic.twitter.com/D6BZbGASsj

A2: 50% of people in women’s jails & 1/3 of people in women’s prisons are disabled. People with disabilities are disproportionately criminalized & incarceration is disabling. Follow @behearddc @sinsinvalid & the Disability Project @TransLawCenter #InterruptingCriminalizationpic.twitter.com/5Wqdctp5cB

A2: If we talk about the criminalization of women & girls (trans and nontrans), then we must necessarily talk about the criminalization of entire families and communities.pic.twitter.com/mRIRL3yUdj

Q3: What is driving mass criminalization of women, trans & GNC people? #InterruptingCriminalizationpic.twitter.com/kcLORYTfWq

A4: Police stops of women are increasing while police stops of men are decreasing. There are significant racial disparities in police stops of women & in arrests after stops #InterruptingCriminalizationpic.twitter.com/nPFyALzeUN

We need more info about the enforcement practices driving these stops -what is the context or women coming into contact with police? Traffic stops? Street patrols? Drug interdiction? #Brokenwindows policing? Vice enforcement? Immigration enforcement? #InterruptingCriminalizationpic.twitter.com/xvTWwkT3vl

Data is rarely broken down by race & gender. So while we know that Black women are stopped & arrested more often we don’t know in what contexts or on what charges. We need to demand & analyze data by sex & gender so we can be more effective #InterruptingCriminalizationpic.twitter.com/fSmd5Njzat

Criminal legal reforms have not reduced arrests for women at the same rate as for men. Between 2009 and 2018, arrests of men dropped by 24.2% but arrests of women decreased by only 15.1% #InterruptingCriminalizationpic.twitter.com/afnesaNDjJ

In some areas, including the #WaronDrugs #BrokenWindowsPolicing and criminalization of poverty and self defense, arrests of women are increasing. #InterruptingCriminalizationpic.twitter.com/r6tSLbwCQl

To recap: Police stops of women are increasing while police stops of men are decreasing. There are significant racial disparities in police stops of women & in arrests after stops #InterruptingCriminalizationpic.twitter.com/oEYC4EnDEz

Q5. What are women being arrested for? #InterruptingCriminalizationpic.twitter.com/SrdvbZMtdW

A5: The #WaronDrugs - women experienced a 39.7% increase in arrests for drug offenses between 2009 and 2018, compared to a 0.1% decrease for men. In 2018, 309,000 women were arrested nationwide for drug offenses. #InterruptingCriminalizationpic.twitter.com/XUpmUnW2js

We need more information & action around how the #WaronDrugs targets women, esp through mandatory drug testing of people on probation or parole, people accessing public services & benefits, & criminalization of pregnant people and parents. #InterruptingCriminalizationpic.twitter.com/glD24xuT2G

What are women being arrested for? Top category is “other offenses” incl. violation of probation, parole, bail, & regulatory schemes like street vending & unlicensed care due to burdensome conditions, minimal support & lengthy probation sentences #InterruptingCriminalizationpic.twitter.com/zoRhQ8LIWQ