The reasons are individual and vary greatly. A lot of them were actually badly abused by their mothers. Their mother has narcissism, or some other personality disorder, and they were raised in an environment that, though they were abused, they internalized it, and believed their mother when she said it was their fault. So they, very deeply, want nothing more than the approval of their mother/family in general. Even when they consciously know this is the reality of their situation it still doesn’t change their desires, and they develop defensive tendencies towards their abuser. In more recent times the demographics of correctional facilities have been changing. White women, who are from much more wealthy, than normal, backgrounds, are the fastest growing demographic in the US penal system. The vast majority of their convictions are possession, or crimes surrounding drug use. Possession, prostitution, theft, and fraud are the big ones. A good number of these women actually had good parents, and home lives. Their reasons for falling into the desperation that leads to drug use are more external, and systemic, than what was most common in times past.

Point being, there is no one factor that holds the most weight for this type of thinking. I could be here for hours discussing demographics, programs, approaches, outcomes, recidivism rates, etc. as my primary job was data analysis for what was called the offender management system (OMS). I don’t have it in me right now.