Incarcerated women’s adjustment to life in prison

• In Event: Prison Working Group: Life in women's prisons: Adjustment, quality of life, and peer support

Abstract

Forty-two women were interviewed in a northeastern state prison for women in the United States. This presentation depicts women’s perspectives on their journey to adjustment to life in prison. The interviewed women were serving time for various crimes and resided in all levels of security units: minimum, medium and maximum. Women discussed their individual experiences in prison, their understanding and definition of adjustment, the nature and the process of adjusting to prison and the challenges that they experienced while coping with imprisonment. The interviews were semi-structured to encourage women to openly discuss their life stories and their experiences in prison. By applying the grounded theory approach, the results suggest that the vast majority of women identified being in a jail as a particularly difficult period in their lives. This extremely tough experience made in comparison their imprisonment easier and safer. In addition, women used various coping techniques that allowed them to view prison as a temporary placement that leads to life outside with their families and children. Women discussed also the challenges and subsequently, the changes in the prison’s polices that could help them in better adjustment.

Author

• Katarzyna Celinska, John Jay College of Criminal Justice