A Qualitative Understanding of Women’s Incarceration Experiences

• In Event: Female Incarceration Experiences and Impacts

Abstract

Many women in prison or jail do not feel as if their voice matters, remaining silent due to
cynicism towards a punitive institution, fear of reprisal for talking, or simply lack the ability to express
themselves in a written form. Still, some choose to voice their opinions in the hopes that one day
something can be done to better the conditions, either for themselves or for the future inmates that
might walk the same halls or be locked in the same cell/housing unit that they are in. Roughly 8,200
women have been surveyed since the inception of the Women’s Correctional Safety Scales (WCSS), an
instrument designed to measure incarcerated women’s perceptions of sexual and physical safety. At two
different opportunities in the WCSS survey these women have the chance to voice their opinions by
answering open ended questions regarding suggestions and other concerns they might have about their
confinement. The narratives that these women express extend beyond their own sexual and physical
safety and into other concerns, including classes, food, dignity, and recreation. Results of a content
analysis of these narratives give unique perspectives on women’s incarceration experiences.

Authors

• Trevor Denney, Eastern Kentucky University

• Ivan Benitez, Eastern Kentucky University

• Kristen Embry, Eastern Kentucky University

• Jerome Williams, Eastern Kentucky University

• James Wells, Eastern Kentucky University