Women Escapees in the Early 20th Century: Resisting Gendered Justice

• In Event: Gender Differences in Corrections

Abstract

The Ohio Reformatory for Women (ORW) opened in 1916. Until 1985, there was no fence surrounding the prison farm. From 1916 until 1945, 39 women “escaped” from the prison. We conduct a content analysis of the prison files for the 39 women who escaped. We discuss the legal and extra-legal factors criminal justice professionals used to argue for their initial incarceration and subsequent capture. More importantly, we discuss the ways in which the women formally and informally resisted these gendered typifications. This research contributes to the dearth of knowledge on both female prisoners and escapes from prison.

Authors

• Brenda Chaney, The Ohio State University

• Angela Bryant, Ohio State University - Newark