Women in Florida’s State Prison System, 1875 to 1959

• In Event: Gender, Race and Crime around the Early 20th Century

Abstract

This paper will extend our understanding of the female population in Florida’s state prison system, from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. This study utilizes the Florida prison registries from the years 1875 to 1959. It will discussion the composition of the female prison population as well as analyze relationships with regard to race, offense, type, age, sentencing time, time served/sentence termination, as well as other factors. Scholars note the Florida’s prison system, during this time period, employed a different punishment paradigm from the rest of the nation: convict leasing and prison farms were the norm, instead of custodial institutions. Florida’s unique social, economic, and political development during this time period may provide insight into the construction of crime during the specified time periods. This paper may also examine the use of incarceration as method of social control as well as the use of punishment to reinforce racial hegemony and notions of womanhood.

Author

• Tiffanie R. Gray, Indiana University, Bloomington