The increase in the number of women prisoners in Alaska more than tripled that of male inmate growth between 2004 and 2013.
The Alaska Dispatch News reports the statistics released Monday by University of Alaska Anchorage researchers show that the female inmate population grew by about 87 percent over the 10-year period, while the number of male inmates grew by about 24 percent.
The state has responded by increasing the number of beds for women at Anchorage Correctional Complex and at the state’s women-only facility, Hiland Mountain Correctional Complex.
Lawmakers recently announced that a nonprofit would help review Alaska’s criminal justice system and propose reforms in order to decrease the total prison population, which has grown by more than 50 percent in 10 years.
