 Other studies show that juvenile women may be sentenced more harshly than their male counterparts

Several studies have found that rates of mental illness in prisons are higher than those in the general population and that rates of mental illness in women's prisons are higher than those in men's prisons.In 1999 a report for the Department of Justice estimated16% of the prison population had some form of mental disorder.However, much research in this area "lack[s] specificity regarding important subpopulations, such as female offenders."