Her Caribbean Blues: The Female Prison Experience
Journal Title: Scholarly Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences - Year 2018, Vol 1, Issue 3
Abstract
In recent history, women were considered the “forgotten offenders.” However, a number of global-political changes have led to an increase in the female prison population; subsequently, this population has become the focus of considerable research. Even so, little inquiry has examined how females experience prison, as well an examination of the female prison experience in developing countries, where the penal culture is significantly different from the U.S., is even more limited. Conversely, both classic and contemporary prison studies have well documented the social world of male offenders, particularly how males experience prison and the perils of imprisonment. This exploratory study examines the ways women in a Caribbean nation experience prison and the challenges they encounter while in prison. Findings indicate that the women faced multiple changes, however, two broad challenges related to their incarceration were prominent. These included the threat of losing pieces of their social identity and trying to cope with a penal culture that threatened to reshape how these women viewed themselves. Until recent decades, a significant amount of the correctional literature and research have focused on male offenders. As a result, female offenders have often been referred to as the “forgotten” offenders Belknap [1], Fletcher, Shaver, Moon [2], Pollock [3], Zaithzow, Thomas [4]. The primary explanations for this oversight are that females make up a small portion of the prison population, their criminality is not viewed as serious as their male counterparts, and they are not considered to be the major breadwinners in the family. Hence, very little attention was devoted to understanding who the female offender is, as well as understanding her social world within the prison environment.
Authors and Affiliations
Melvina T Sumter, Ingrid P Whitaker, Dianne Berger Hill, Frank R Wood
Keywords
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- EP ID EP582504
- DOI 10.32474/SJPBS.2018.01.000114
- Views 71
- Downloads 0
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