Canyon County man gets life in prison for first-degree murder

<p>The number of women in local jails has grown to 14 times what it was four decades ago.</p><p>According to a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.safetyandjusticechallenge.org/resource/overlooked-women-jails-era-reform/" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;released Wednesday by The Vera Institute of Justice and The Safety and Justice Challenge, &quot;Women in jail are the fastest growing correctional population in the country.&quot;</p><p><b>SEE MORE: <a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/how-police-leaders-want-to-fix-us-mass-incarceration/">How Police Leaders Want To Fix US Mass Incarceration</a></b></p><p>The report indicates close to 110,000 women are currently being held in local jails, compared to just 8,000 in the 1970s.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The report also says the number of women in jails accounts for half of all women serving time in both local jails and prisons in the United States.</p><p>So, why the increase?&nbsp;</p><p><b>SEE MORE: <a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/obama-pushes-sentence-reform-shortens-214-prison-sentences/">Obama Pushes Sentence Reform, Shortens 214 Prison Sentences</a></b></p><p>The report points to a number of reasons, including the implementation of so-called&nbsp;<a href="http://cebcp.org/evidence-based-policing/what-works-in-policing/research-evidence-review/broken-windows-policing/" target="_blank">&quot;broken windows policing,&quot;</a>&nbsp;which is the practice of cracking down on less-serious crimes as a way to hopefully prevent more serious offenses. The report says the policy has led to &quot;further widening of the justice system&#39;s net.&quot;</p><p>Currently, about 82 percent of women serving jail time are doing so for nonviolent crimes ranging from property offenses to drug violations.</p><p><b>SEE MORE: <a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/nypd-commissioner-announced-his-retirement-just-one-day-after-protest/">NYPD Commissioner Announced His Retirement Just One Day After Protest</a></b></p><p>Sixty-four percent of the females serving jail time are women of color.</p><p>Close to 80 percent of women behind bars are mothers, many of whom are single parents.</p><p>Studies have shown a parent&#39;s time behind bars can have a&nbsp;<a href="http://nrccfi.camden.rutgers.edu/files/Journal-of-Health-and-Social-Behavior-2014-Turney-302-19.pdf" target="_blank">negative impact</a>&nbsp;on a child&#39;s health.</p><hr><b>Trending stories at <a href="http://www.newsy.com">Newsy.com</a></b><ul class="inline-related-links"><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/brady-bunch-actress-sells-home-she-bought-when-she-was-11/">&#039;Brady Bunch&#039; Actress Sells The Malibu Home She Bought When She Was 11</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/almost-half-of-refugees-admitted-to-us-this-year-are-muslim/">Almost Half Of The Refugees Admitted Onto US Soil This Year Are Muslim</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/parents-of-ny-woman-killed-when-jogging-make-offer-to-killer/">The Parents Of A Slain NYC Woman Have A Strange Message For Her Killer</a></li></ul>