In the Extreme: Women Serving Life Without Parole and Death Sentences in the United States
September 2021
Resource from National Black Women’s Justice Institute
“One of every 15 women in prison—amounting to more than 6,600 women—is serving a life sentence and nearly 2,000 of these have no chance for parole. Another 52 women in the U.S. are awaiting execution. Black women account for 1/3 of women serving life sentences and virtual life sentences in the U.S. Many women serving extreme sentences were victims of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse long before they committed a crime.”