“It’s not just what I did, but with whom and for what…”: Caste, Gender, and the Construction of Moral Hierarchies in Women’s Prisons in India

• In Event: PWG - Caste, race, and prison subcultures

Abstract

Existing scholarship on prisoners’ moral hierarchies has primarily focused on offence-based classifications, where sexual offences are often the most morally condemned. However, much of this research remains male-centric and rooted in Western penal contexts, overlooking the gendered, caste-based, and socio-cultural dimensions that shape moral hierarchies in non-Western prisons. This gap is particularly evident in South Asian penal studies, where incarceration is deeply influenced by local cultural, familial, and caste-based structures.

Drawing on in-depth interviews with 127 women offenders in seven prisons across Punjab & Rajasthan, India, this paper examines how moral status and hierarchies are constructed within women’s prisons. It argues that a woman’s moral standing is not solely dictated by the legal severity of her offence but is profoundly shaped by her perceived transgression of socio-cultural and caste-based norms. These moral evaluations extend beyond the nature of offence to include pre-offence life choices, particularly in regards to marital decisions and sexual partnerships, as well as offence-related factors such as the underlying motivation and the relationship they share with both the victim and any co-accused individuals.

The findings demonstrate that these socio-cultural perceptions directly shape the level of familial support women receive in prison, influencing the stigma they face, their moral positioning, and adaptation strategies. Given that caste and cultural considerations often take precedence over offence severity in determining moral status, this paper argues that women’s position within prison hierarchies is more fluid and contingent than previously assumed. Women who actively seek reintegration and alignment with socio-cultural expectations can renegotiate their moral standing, illustrating the dynamic and context-dependent nature of morality in Indian women’s prisons.

By situating these findings within broader debates on gender, crime & punishment, this study offers a critical re-examination of women’s prison hierarchies and underscores the need for more intersectional and culturally situated approaches to understanding prisoners’ moral lives.

Author

• Kanupriya Sharma, University of Cambridge