CAN-DO Fondation cited in the following article entitled: Obama’s Clemency Program Has Failed Incarcerated Women
As of January 17, 2017, over 1,385 inmates had received clemency or been pardoned; only around 90 of those people are women, as far as Amy Povah, founder and president of the CAN-DO Foundation, can tell. CAN-DO—Clemency for All Non-Violent Drug Offenders—began in 2000 after Povah was released from prison after being granted clemency under President Bill Clinton.
As of January 17, 2017, over 1,385 inmates had received clemency or been pardoned; only around 90 of those people are women.
And while that number is similar to the ratio of men who are incarcerated to women that are incarcerated, advocates say that’s not a good enough argument for not releasing more women. “While women may make up 6.7% of the prison population, when you look at drug offenses, which is what Obama’s clemency program is supposed to address, it gets more complicated than that,” says Povah. The majority of women are arrested for drug or property offenses. Over the last 30 years, the women’s federal prison population increased 800%, while the men’s increased 419%. “We’re looking at women going into prison two to one with regard to the ratio,” explains Povah.