Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women

Associated Press - May 1, 2009 6:35 PM ET

MCLOUD, Okla. (AP) - Women continue to arrive every week at the sprawling Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in north Pottawatomie County.

Prison officials say about 125 female offenders are processed at the facility each month as Oklahoma maintains its dubious distinction of putting a greater percentage of its women behind bars than any other state in the nation.

Oklahoma locks up 131 female offenders per 100,000 residents, a staggering percentage that nearly doubles the national average of 69 per 100,000 and dwarfs the rate of surrounding states. Texas' rate is 97 per 100,000, followed by Colorado (96), Missouri (83), Arkansas (73), New Mexico (54) and Kansas (44), according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Oklahoma's female prison population is overwhelmingly made up of nonviolent offenders.

More than 40% of women in prison in Oklahoma are convicted of drug possession (22%) or distribution (19%). According to the Department of Corrections, forgery and larceny crimes account for another nearly 14% of female inmates.

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