A look at the women in California's prisons.

* There are 10,870 female inmates--seven percent of the total inmate population,

* 80 percent are under 40

* 46 percent are African-American, 36 percent are Anglo, 14 percent are Latina, 4 percent are other

* Two-thirds are serving time for a drug-related crime

* The percentage of female inmates for violent crime dropped 17 percent in the decade between 1982 and 1992

* 50 percent of women in inmates were never legally employed

* Only 3 percent of CA prisoners have access to drug treatment

* 50 percent of women in CA prisons have a juvenile crime history

* 80 percent of women in CA prisons have been physically or sexually abused at sometime in their lives

* 76 percent are mothers

* There are a million children of incarcerated parents in California

* 50 percent of children under 2 never visit their mothers in prison

Sources: Center on Juvenile & Criminal Justice, CA Dept. of Corrections, CA Dept. of Drug and Alcohol Programs, Mothering magazine.

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