The imprisonment of women has repercussions in every aspect of society, including the huge costs of incarceration, the splitting of communities and families, the tragic disruption at crucial developmental stages in the lives of thousands of children and the unchecked deterioration of the physical and mental health of women in prison.
3,750 women re-entered their communities in 2009 after serving time in North Carolina prisons.
N.C. Department of Correction Public Information Office
Two-thirds of people released from prison are re-arrested and half are re-incarcerated within three years.
The average hourly wage needed to afford a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent is $11.60 - twice as much as minimum wage.