Mexico sees rising numbers of women detained without sentence and mothers living with children in prisons

A recent national prison census shows that women make up only about 6% of Mexico’s incarcerated population, yet more than half are still awaiting a court ruling. At the end of 2025, 46.3% of female detainees had no sentence, compared with just under 40% of men. Of those women, 55.2% are held in preventive detention and 31.5% in justified detention, and one in five has spent at least two years behind bars without a verdict.

The same census reports that 270 incarcerated women (about 8,300 women overall) are living with their children, totaling 280 children under six years old, many under a year old. Only 40% of the 184 female or mixed‑gender facilities have dedicated maternity or childcare spaces. Veracruz ranks second nationally, with 25 mothers residing with their children in prison, but just two of its 19 centers provide any maternity or overnight accommodation. Nationwide, infrastructure for education and childcare remains limited, highlighting significant gaps in support for incarcerated mothers and their children.