Black women make up about 29% of the women who are incarcerated in this country. Hispanic women make up about 14%. American Indian and Alaska Native make about up about 2.5%. These are dramatic overrepresentations of women of color in the criminal legal system in comparison to their make-up of the U.S. population. 

Black women and girls, just like Black men and boys, are disproportionately represented in our US prisons, jails, and other places of confinement. Black women make up 29% of U.S. prisons while only making up about 13% of the U.S. population. Black girls represent 43% of girls who are in youth detention. 80% of women in jail and 58% in prisons are parents.

The National Black Women’s Justice Institute (NBWJI) researches, elevates, and educates the public on the overcriminalization of Black women and girls, and NBJWI is conducting research on Black women's policing, health, and incarceration. Sydney McKinney, Executive Director of NBWJI, joined the Takeaway to discuss the current data surrounding Black women and girls' incarceration and what healing-centered alternatives can look like.