Nowhere to go: since the early 1990s, more women than ever—most of them mothers—have served time in Illinois prisons. Now they're getting out. But what happens when they head home?

Chicago Reporter, The, Oct, 2003 by Leah Samuel

Denning, who heads the state's female prison institutions, said more money has to be allocated to help create and sustain programs focused on women leaving prison. That commitment is needed to stop "the cycle of incarceration," she said.

Denning said studies have shown that children of incarcerated mothers are seven times more likely than their peers to wind up behind bars.

"When mom is in prison, her children end up in prison, and their children end up in prison," Denning said. "People don't realize it, but we're incarcerating families."

This story is part of an ongoing Reporter series on ex-offenders and employment, which is supported by the Woods Fund of Chicago.

THE NUMBERS

Serving Time

The number of women entering prison in Illinois is on the rise,
growing by more than 53 percent between fiscal years 1998 and 2002.
The latest state figures show that about 47 percent of women return
to prison within three years of their release.

FY1998  2,380
FY1999  2,642
FY2000  2,892
FY2001  3,355
FY2002  3,651

Source: Illinois Department of Correction.

Note: Table made from bar graph.

Leah Samuel is a freelance writer based in Chicago.