The Impact of Incarceration on Texas Women
Dear Friends,
One of the hidden features of our criminal-legal system in Texas is its enormous impact on women. The number of women incarcerated in Texas has increased by 951% since 1980, at more than twice the rate of male incarceration. Texas incarcerates more women than any other state.Eighty percent of women incarcerated in Texas prisons are mothers of children under the age of 18, resulting in long-lasting impacts on our state’s children. Nearly half a million Texas children have experienced a parent behind bars.
Women have unique pathways to prison. They enter the system with high histories of childhood sexual abuse, poverty, mental illness, and substance abuse. According to data from the Texas Center for Justice and Equity, half of women in Texas prisons report an income of less than $10,000 per year before their incarceration. Over half of incarcerated women experienced sexual abuse as a child and a quarter report being forced to exchange sex for money, food, or basic needs before their imprisonment.
Incarceration does not lead to genuine healing, and prisons are particularly poorly equipped to serve women. Prison exacerbates underlying trauma histories and weakens family ties.
We represent incarcerated women in our Pro Bono Parole Program, where we give them a voice in their parole process and work to reunite them with their loved ones. Over half of the clients in our Pro Bono Parole Program are women; all of them have histories of intimate partner violence or human trafficking. With our pro bono partners, we advocate for these women before the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, fighting for their right to serve the remainder of their sentence at home. They deserve a second chance.
With gratitude,
Burke Butler
Executive Director
Texas Defender Service
