Progress and setbacks in the introduction of a gender perspective in prison policy in Uruguay

• In Event: Critical Approaches to Gender-Sensitive Policies in Prison Systems (II)

Abstract

For decades, the Uruguayan prison system has faced a structural crisis, aggravated by a constant increase in the prison population, the hegemony of punitive policies and a very low level of technical intervention.
In this context, the situation of women prisoners presents a series of specific challenges, as they are a minority population whose needs are often invisible. Although several institutional changes have taken place over the last twenty years in an attempt to incorporate a gender perspective in the design and adoption of prison policies, these changes have not been sufficient to modify the androcentric nature of the system. On the other hand, there have also been recent regulatory changes that, although theoretically presented as 'gender neutral', have ignored the specificities of female criminal involvement and have ended up severely prejudicing women.
The purpose of this presentation is to describe and analyze, using various sources of information, the ups and downs of the incorporation of a gender perspective in Uruguayan prison policy, and to problematize the ways in which policy design (through action or inaction) affects the disparities between men and women subject to penal measures.

Authors

• Ana Vigna, Universidad de la República (Uruguay)

• Cecilia Rocha-Carpiuc, Universidad de la República

• Joaquín Cardeillac Gulla, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales - Universidad de la República