The State of Oklahoma imprisons twice as many women as any other state, reports The Atlantic.
A recent documentary made by two filmmakers working on behalf of The Center for Investigative Reporting set out to uncover why Oklahoma has such a staggeringly high incarceration rate for women.
Drug possession is the most common reason women end up in prison. While other conservative states have worked to reduce drug sentences, Oklahoma continues to dole out increasingly long sentences for possession.
The incarceration rates for black women are particularly troubling. In Oklahoma, the rate of black women in Oklahoma prisons is twice the rate of their representation among the state’s general population.
Governor Mary Fallin has said that Oklahoma’s high female incarceration rate is not something she’s proud of.
