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Segments of americas prison population. Since 1995, the total number of male prisoners in america has grown 29 . The number of female prisoners, nearly 50 . So what does it mean to society and to our Justice System . We first visited valley state womens prison in california back in 2000, one of the largest allfemale prisons in the world. We returned five years later to see if reforms made any difference to a system troubled by overcrowding and the inmates caught in a seemingly hopeless circle of abuse, drug addiction and violence. Everybody tries to make a family here. This is their family whi...

Comforts me and tells me he's going to see me through this and that he's forgiven me, because i can't forgive myself sometimes. >> i've become a very angry person rather than, say, somebody who is looking at things and finding things better. there's nothing rehabilitating here. it's a drudgery, really. >> when we last saw barbara erdman, she was 65 years old and one year into her ten-year sentence for murder. >> my husband had left me after 30 years, and i was having a very tough time with it. and all of a sudden i decided i was going to be me again. and i went over to his house. he had moved ...

To keep whatever pension and stuff he had and just sign the house over to me. and he got very irate and starting beating me up. but when i backed up, his gun was on the counter -- he carried it once in a while -- and i picked it up and tried to scare him. he backed off, but then he came at me. and i pulled the trigger, i guess. i really don't remember it clearly. it went off and he died. >> barbara had more difficulty adjusting to her time in prison than the others. barbara will soon be 71. >> no. this is not life, i'll tell you that. you're definitely being punished. that's for sure. it's a n...

And he got very irate and starting beating me up. but when i backed up, his gun was on the counter -- he carried it once in a while -- and i picked it up and tried to scare him. he backed off, but then he came at me. and i pulled the trigger, i guess. i really don't remember it clearly. it went off and he died. >> barbara had more difficulty adjusting to her time in prison than the others. barbara will soon be 71. >> no. this is not life, i tell you that. you're definitely being punished. that's for sure. it's a nightmare. i still have not gotten over the shock of being here.

Can't forgive myself sometimes. >> i've become a very angry person rather than, say, somebody who is looking at things and finding things better. there's nothing rehabilitating here. it's a drudgery really. >> when we last saw barbara erdman, she was 65 years old and one year into her ten-year sentence for murder. >> my husband had left me after 30 years, and i was having a very tough time with it. and all of a sudden i decided i was going to be me again. and i went over to his house. he had moved out, and i went over to his house where he lived, and i wanted to tell him to keep whatever pensi...