Women in Prisons

• In Event: Prisoners and Prisons (Panel 2 of 3)

Abstract

Incarcerated women are more marginalized, have higher rates of mental illness and substance abuse, and have more often experienced physical and/or sexual victimization prior to incarceration than men. Consequently, they experience prison differently than men. However, much of what we know about women’s experiences with incarceration focuses on research in the U.S. and British contexts, often neglecting experiences of women in other settings. We contribute to the development of a more global perspective on women’s incarceration by examining similarities and differences in women’s incarceration based on case studies from Canada, Norway and Mexico. In doing so, we emphasize how local particularities relating to: a) accommodation and food, b) victimization, c) programming and treatment, d) work and e) how women prisoners cope with being separated from their children in these three different countries shape the experiences of women in these different contexts. How women experience prison is related to their situation outside of prison. We urge future researchers to pay close attention to geographical and contextual differences when assessing the conditions, challenges and prospects of women in prisons.

Author

• Sandra Bucerius, University of Alberta