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Tuesday, Jun. 10, 2025

Does Oklahoma have one of the highest female incarceration rates?

Matthew Yim, Oklahoma Watch
yes

Though no longer the state with the highest female incarceration rate, as of 2022, the most recent Bureau of Justice Statistics report, Oklahoma has the fourth-highest female imprisonment rate at 108 per 100,000 female residents.

This is a significant decrease from 2018 when the rate was 281 per 100,000 and Oklahoma held the number one spot.

The states with the highest and lowest rates are Idaho at 132 per 100,000 and Massachusetts at 7 per 100,000.

Across the U.S., the female incarceration rate is 49 per 100,000.

Globally, female prisoner numbers have increased 60% since 2000, while male prisoner and general population numbers have seen increases of 22% and 30%, respectively.

Preliminary 2023 data shows that although the total number of federal and state female prisoners in Oklahoma has decreased 0.2% from 2022, the total number of male prisoners has decreased by 2.6%, a 13 times greater decrease.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

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Oklahoma Watch is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) corporation that produces in-depth and investigative journalism as a public service for the benefit of all Oklahomans. Through investigative, fact-driven journalism, we dig deep and examine significant issues facing our state. Our work engages all Oklahomans, amplifies the discussion of important issues and leads to change. We help develop the journalists and journalism of the future.

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