The number of convicted women filling Alaska's prisons has increased by nearly a quarter over the past decade while the male inmate population has declined.
That's according to data released Monday by the University of Alaska Anchorage's Justice Center. The climbing number of female inmates was noted in previous releases, and the Alaska Department of Corrections has said it's looking into the issue.
The female population incarcerated after conviction increased 27.5 percent, and the post-conviction incarcerated male population decreased 4.4 percent from 2005 to 2014, according to the data.
Khristy Parker, researcher at UAA's Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center, said the major takeaway from the center's most recent fact sheet is the increase in the female population. Previously examined corrections data showed increases in the pretrial population too, she said.
"It's a slightly different population, but it's a similar trend we're seeing," Parker said.
"We're seeing a gender shift in who is being incarcerated," she said.
Many more men than women remain behind bars in Alaska, however. The corrections department's most recent statistics show about 4,500 men and about 600 women are locked up.
Parker said the Justice Center has joined the corrections department to examine female inmate population trends. There is no easy answer right now -- the population of women is increasing in all crime categories, with the exception of drug and alcohol crimes, she said. The future report is several months away, but it should provide more context.
The Statistical Analysis Center reported fewer convicted men and women in prison for drug and alcohol crimes. "The number of incarcerated offenders convicted of alcohol and drug crimes declined substantially (22.8 percent)" over the examined period, according to the fact sheet.
The male population convicted and incarcerated on those crimes held steady through 2013, then declined dramatically in 2014. Anchorage District Attorney Clint Campion said he doesn't have an explanation for what would change the outcomes of male offenders based on the practices in his office.
Offenders in Anchorage have had access to drug courts and other alternatives for years, Campion said. He said most of the city's criminal cases involve drugs or alcohol at least as a side factor, and those cases aren't necessarily reflected in convictions for drug and alcohol crimes.
Among the other findings:
• Between 2005 and 2014, the post-conviction incarcerated population in correctional institutions decreased 2 percent.
• Between 2005 and 2014, the incarcerated population convicted of misdemeanors decreased 34.1 percent, while the felony incarcerated population increased 5.9 percent.
• The post-conviction incarcerated population convicted of felonies increased for both male (4.0 percent) and female (29.4 percent) offenders.