Although there are more men than women in prison, the growth rate of female imprisonment since 1980 has been twice that of men. Female incarceration in the U.S. has increased by more than 585 percent, and 62 percent of incarcerated women have a child under the age of 18.

Mental health is one of the largest differences between incarcerated men and women. As of 2017, 66 percent of women in prison reported a diagnosed history of mental health problems compared to only 35 percent of men.

A unique aspect of mental health in women’s prisons is family — specifically motherhood. According to Stephanie Taylor of Volunteers of Legal Service, “the separation of families and the unnecessary estrangement of mothers from their children is rarely discussed outside social worker and legal service provider circles working with this population.”

This poses an issue for incarcerated mothers, as the U.S. prison system is designed for men and is thus less responsive to women's needs, let alone those of mothers.

Without adequate legal help, incarcerated mothers can permanently lose all rights to their children, sometimes within months of........

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