In the last 22 years, the number of women in Ohio prisons has increased more than 600%, and the number of women in Ohio jails has increased even more.
While that number has declined somewhat in the past few years after peaking in 2016, certain drug-related sentencing continues to send more women to prison than ever before — and at rates disparate to the rates at which men are sentenced for the same crimes.
That's according to a new report by the ACLU of Ohio that delves into what is driving the spike in women in prison in the Buckeye State.
What is behind these disparities? And what are the implications for Ohio women, their families and communities?
Joining Cincinnati Edition to talk about women and mass incarceration are ACLU of Ohio Chief Lobbyist Gary Daniels; Rise Up News Founder and Executive Director Tracy Brumfield; The Sentencing Project Executive Director Amy Fettig; and The Office of the Ohio Public Defender State Public Defender Tim Young.
Listen to Cincinnati Edition live at noon M-F. Audio for this segment will be uploaded after 4 p.m. ET.
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