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Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 6th

Chapter 12Chapter 12

Incarceration of Women


Central California Women’s FacilityCentral California Women’s Facility world’s largest female prison; Chowchilla, Ca.world’s largest female prison; Chowchilla, Ca.


Death row in a women’s prison:Death row in a women’s prison:Central California Women’s FacilityCentral California Women’s Facility

death row (holding 12 women) is the small, screened portion of an administrative segregation unit


why women tend to be why women tend to be the “forgotten offenders”the “forgotten offenders” women commit fewer crimes than men female criminality tends to be less serious

than male criminality historically, women have tended more

often than men to be “excluded” from the justice system, by lenient treatment

women constitute a small proportion of the correctional population (6%)

popular social attitude tends to put all females in a subservient position


Institutionalized “sexism”:Institutionalized “sexism”:caused by low status of female criminalitycaused by low status of female criminality

women’s prisons are located farther from friends & family, inhibiting visits, especially for the poor

women’s prisons lack diverse educational, vocational, and other programs available in men’s prisons

women’s prisons lack specialization in treatment and fail to segregate offenders who present special problems or have special needs


94%

6%

89%

11%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

prisons jails

malefemale

women (vs. men) doing timewomen (vs. men) doing time%

of a

dult

inm

ates


77%

108%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

male female

more women doing timemore women doing time% increase in men vs. women in state & federal prisons, from 1990


89%

11%

99%

1%

90%

10%

80%

20%

87%

13%

65%

35%

84%

16%

85%

15%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

murder rape robbery agg.assault

burglary larcenytheft

autotheft

arson

malefemale

gender and crime: gender and crime: who’s arrested for what?who’s arrested for what?proportion of men vs. women arrested for specific index crimes


evolution of women’s prisonsevolution of women’s prisons

Elizabeth Fry1780 - 1845

1st to press for reform in treatment of women & children

Women’s Prison Asso.

New York, 1844created to improve treatment of & separate females from male inmates

House of ShelterDetroit, post civil war

1st reformatory for women.run by Zebulon Brockway

1st female-run prison for women

Indiana, 1873run for women, by women

Alderson PrisonWest Virginia, 1927

1st federal prison for women.Mary Belle Harris, warden

END of END of reformatory reformatory movementmovement

“ran its course” by 1935; no new correctional

models


female prison reform in 1800sfemale prison reform in 1800s guiding principlesguiding principlesseparation of women from menprovision of differential care for

womenmanagement of women’s prisons

by female staff

plan . . .


features distinguishing female features distinguishing female from male prisonsfrom male prisons

smaller

less physical violence

inmate-staff relations less structured

less developed underground

economy

less committed to inmate code

shorter sentences

looser security

women’s prisons


female inmate profilesfemale inmate profilespredominately Black (46%)

or White (36%)between ages of 25 - 34 (50%)never married (45%)some high school (46%)

or graduated (23%)Similar to characteristics of

male inmates


34%

28%26%

11%

20%

49%

21%

10%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

female male

drug- relatedviolentpropertypublic order

women and men doing time, women and men doing time, by commitment offenseby commitment offense

type

s of c

rim

e w

omen

(vs.

men

)ar

e se

rvin

g tim

e fo

r


female prison subcultures female prison subcultures (per Heffernan)(per Heffernan)

“square” (like ‘gleaning’) situational offender adheres to conventional norms & values

“the life” (like ‘jailing’) persistent offenders act in prison as they did on the outside antisocial, stand firm against authority represent about half of female prisoners

“cool” (like ‘doing time’) professionals; controlled & manipulative;

‘keep busy, play around, stay out of trouble and get out’


““pseudo-families”pseudo-families” a distinguishing hallmark of the

“subculture” in many women’s prisons (as compared with men’s)women often cope with the stresses of

incarceration by bonding together in extended “families” of convenience.

different women play the roles of various members of the family, including father, mother, siblings, grandchildren, even cousins

definition


key issues in the incarceration key issues in the incarceration of womenof womeneducational & vocational training

female programs tend to reflect stereotypical “female” occupations

women’s programs less ambitious than men’smedical services

women have more serious health problemsmothers & their children

167,000 American children (2/3 of whom are under 10) have a mother in jail or prison

65% of incarcerated mothers were single caretakers of minor children.


official sexual misconduct official sexual misconduct in prisonin prison number of cases of misconduct by male

officers in on increase, with increase in female inmates eg, Houston Cagle & Susan Smith, 2000

Officers may abuse authority to compel sex by withholding goods and privileges to prisoners or by rewarding them with same

42 states have enacted legislation prohibiting sexual misconduct

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