Analysing Women's Imprisonment

by Carlen; Pat

• ISBN13: 9781843920694
• ISBN10: 1843920697
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2004-05-01
• Publisher: Willan

Summary

What are women's prisons for? What are they like? Why are lone mothers, ethnic minority and very poor women disproportionately represented in women's prison population? Should babies be sent to prison with their mothers? Can knowledge of women's imprisonment be better informed by various theories, research studies, philosophies of punishment and cultural analyses which demonstrate the decisive impact on penal affairs of economic and political change? These are amongst the issues with which this book is concerned.Analysing Women's Imprisonment is written as an introductory text to the subject, aiming to guide students of penology carefully through the main historical and contemporary discourses on women's imprisonment. Each chapter has a clear summary ('concepts to know), essay questions and recommendations for further reading, and will help students prepare confidently for seminars, course examinations and project work.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
Chapter 1. Histories of women's imprisonment	1	(27)
Introduction	1	(2)
The modernisers	3	(10)
The limits to modernism	13	(3)
The postmodernists	16	(8)
Summary	24	(1)
Concepts to know	24	(2)
Further reading	26	(1)
Topics for discussion	26	(1)
Essay questions	26	(2)
Chapter 2. Women in prison: the facts	28	(20)
Introduction	28	(1)
Sentencing women: chivalry or double jeopardy?	28	(3)
Discrimination and Section 95 publications	31	(1)
Counting women in prison	32	(3)
Characteristics of women in prison	35	(8)
International comparisons	43	(1)
Conclusion	44	(1)
Concepts to know	45	(1)
Further reading	46	(1)
Topics for discussion	46	(1)
Essay questions	47	(1)
Chapter 3. Women in prison: contemporary issues	48	(29)
Introduction	48	(4)
A safe environment	52	(7)
Treating people with respect	59	(7)
A full, constructive and purposeful regime	66	(3)
Resettlement training to prevent re-offending	69	(4)
Conclusion	73	(1)
Concepts to know	74	(1)
Further reading	75	(1)
Topics for discussion	76	(1)
Essay questions	76	(1)
Chapter 4. Theories of women's imprisonment	77	(41)
Introduction	77	(1)
Why do women's prisons take the forms they do?	78	(13)
What are women's prisons for?	91	(1)
Political explanations	92	(1)
Penological explanations	93	(7)
Does prison work? Practical assessments	100	(1)
Does prison work? Penal theorists' assessments	101	(3)
Cultural explanations	104	(2)
Classical approaches	106	(2)
Feminist approaches	108	(4)
Foucauldian feminist approaches	112	(3)
Conclusion	115	(1)
Concepts to know	115	(1)
Further reading	116	(1)
Topics for discussion	116	(1)
Essay questions	117	(1)
Chapter 5. Alternatives to custody 118
Introduction	118	(1)
Why aren't women criminalised as much as men?	119	(4)
Why are some women treated leniently by the criminal courts (or are they)?	123	(2)
Alternatives to prison for women	125	(1)
Three models of correctional change (Cohen 1983)	126	(3)
Three generations of intensive supervision	129	(4)
Women and community punishment	133	(1)
Women and fines	134	(2)
Trends in supervisory community sentences for women	136	(1)
Women and community rehabilitation orders (formerly probation orders)	137	(4)
Women and community punishment orders (formerly community service)	141	(2)
Women and drugs treatment	143	(1)
Women and electronic monitoring	144	(1)
Women and hostels	145	(1)
Women and intensive supervision	146	(1)
Women and restorative justice	146	(1)
What works for women offenders?	147	(4)
Women-wise penology	151	(2)
Concepts to know	153	(1)
Further reading	154	(1)
Topics for discussion	155	(1)
Essay questions	155	(1)
Chapter 6. Feminist theories of imprisonment and penal politics	155	(29)
Introduction	155	(1)
Administrative, critical, abolitionist and feminist perspectives on punishment	155	(5)
Campaigns for abolition of women's imprisonment	160	(5)
Feminist politics and prisoner-research ethics	165	(2)
Theorizing the relationships between theory, penal politics and campaigning for change	167	(14)
Conclusion	181	(1)
Concepts to know	181	(1)
Further reading	182	(1)
Topics for discussion	182	(1)
Essay questions	182	(2)
Chapter 7. Investigating women's imprisonment: practical issues	184	(27)
Introduction	184	(2)
Designing the project	186	(1)
Project design checklist	186	(1)
Gaining access	187	(1)
Gaining access checklist	187	(1)
Contacting the interviewees or research participants	188	(1)
Ethical issues	189	(8)
Leaving the research site	197	(2)
Conclusion	199	(1)
Further reading	200	(1)
Topics for discussion	200	(1)
Project areas and topics	201	(1)
Sources and addresses	202	(9)
References and further reading	211	(20)
Index	231