What Changed for Women in State and Federal Prisons?

The number of women under state or federal prison jurisdiction rose from about 87,800 at yearend 2022 to 91,100 at yearend 2023, according to federal statistical tables. Those counts establish a trend but do not explain its causes.

The figures come from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) report "Prisoners in 2023 – Statistical Tables," published in September 2025. BJS describes the change as an increase of almost 4%, faster than the 2% growth in the number of men over the same period. At yearend 2023, women made up 7% of the combined state and federal prison population.

Where the change happened

The detailed tables show that the increase was not spread evenly:

• ✱State prisons: women under state jurisdiction rose about 5%, from 76,657 at yearend 2022 to 80,538 at yearend 2023.
• ✱Federal prisons: women under Federal Bureau of Prisons jurisdiction fell about 5%, from 11,127 to 10,606.
• ✱States: the number of women in prison increased in 41 states from 2022 to 2023.
• ✱Sentenced to more than 1 year: an estimated 3,400 more women were serving such sentences in 2023 than in 2022, an increase of about 4%.
• ✱Imprisonment rate: 64 women per 100,000 adult female U.S. residents were serving a sentence of more than one year at yearend 2023, compared with 62 per 100,000 at yearend 2022.

For longer context, the yearend 2023 count of women was about 18% lower than the yearend 2013 count, according to the same tables.

What the numbers do and do not show

The tables count people on a specific date, December 31. They show that more women were under prison jurisdiction at the end of 2023 than a year earlier, and that most of that growth occurred in state systems.

They do not explain why. A rise could reflect more admissions, longer stays, fewer releases or changes in how individual states report, and the tables alone do not separate those possibilities. The report also does not describe the programs, health care or family services available to women in any particular facility.

One related detail the report does provide: among people sentenced to more than one year in state prison at yearend 2022, the most recent year with offense data, 26% of women were serving a sentence for a drug offense, compared with 12% of men. That is a description of the population, not an explanation of the 2023 increase.

Questions worth asking

Because national counts say little about daily life inside, families often learn the most by asking the facility or the state department of corrections directly. Practical questions include:

• ✱What education, job training or treatment programs are available to women at this facility, and is there a waitlist?
• ✱How does the facility handle medical, mental health and reproductive health care requests?
• ✱What are the visiting rules, and are there any programs for visits with children?
• ✱How do phone calls, video visits, mail and commissary deposits work, and what do they cost?
• ✱What reentry planning is offered before release, and when does it start?

Answers can vary by facility and change over time, so it helps to ask for written policies when they are available.

What this means for families

The yearend 2023 data confirm that more women were in state prisons than a year earlier, but they do not tell you what to expect at a specific facility. Use our find a facility directory to identify the facility and its operating agency, read reviews from people with direct experience while keeping in mind they reflect individual accounts, and contact the state department of corrections for official policies. For questions about a sentence or release date, a licensed attorney or the public defender's office can help.