Kate Whitfield

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GENDER JUSTICETHE PRISON

• Kate Whitfield
• Email K.Whitfield_at_liverpool.ac.uk

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HM PRISON SERVICE

• Objectives
• - Hold prisoners securely.
• - Reduce the risk of prisoners re-offending.
• - Provide a safe establishment that treats
  prisoners
• humanely.
• Principles
• - Work constructively with other agencies.
• - Obtain best value from resources available.
• - Promote equality of opportunity combat
• discrimination.

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HM PRISON SERVICE

• Primary function custody control.
• ALSO, rehabilitating, educating training
  prisoners.

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WORKING IN PRISONS

• Danger of working in prisons.
• Repetitive long hours.
• Women prison officers
• - Before 1970s.
• - Promote more humane treatment.
• - Opposition from co-workers.
• - Performance studies.

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WOMENS PRISONS

• In England, there are
• - 17 womens prisons.
• - 7 mother baby units.
• - 5 female juvenile units.
• Sir David Ramsbotham, HM Chief Inspector of
  Prisons It is a sad fact that the particular
  requirements of women in prison have been
  overlooked in study after study into conditions
  in prison.
• - NOT TRUE says Carlen.

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MAD RATHER THAN BAD

• John Howard Elizabeth Fry women should be
  housed apart from men in prison.
• 1950s belief that women in prisons needed
  psychiatric treatment.
• Stereotype used to justify rigid infantile
  regimes.

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DIFFERENCES IN PRISONS

• Although there are differences between womens
  mens prisons, it is more by default than design
• - Smaller population.
• - Mainly ethnic minorities.
• - Ideologies shape regimes.

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DIFFERENCES IN PRISONS

• Research suggests 3 other reasons why womens
  imprisonment is different to mens
• 1.) Women are biologically different to men.
• 2.) Women play a different role in society.
• 3.) Women are socially controlled.

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PROBLEMS IN WOMENS PRISONS

• Overcrowding
• Less educational classes
• Quality of medical treatment
• Imprisoned far from home

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CHANGES IN WOMENS PRISONS

• Men working in womens prisons.
• Mandatory drug testing.
• Strip searching.
• Handcuffing.

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CRIMES OF WOMEN PRISONERS

• Womens lawbreaking is qualitatively
  quantitatively different to mens
• - Qualitatively committed under different
  circumstances.
• - Quantitatively very small amount of violent
  crime is committed by women.
• Most women prisoners have committed crimes
  against property or drug offences.

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YOUNG OFFENDERS

• Only 5 juvenile units.
• Share with adult offenders.
• Problems relating to how prisoners are treated.

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CHILDREN OF PRISONERS

• Prisons effect on mothers.
• Many prisoners are single mothers.
• Children developing problems.
• Temporary carers.
• Most children know that their mother is in
  prison.
• Mother Baby Units.

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SELECTED READINGS

• Carlen, P. (1998). Womens Imprisonment at the
  Millennium. London Macmillan.
• Martin, S.E., Jurik, N.C. (1996). Doing
  Justice, Doing Gender. Thousand Oaks Sage.
• Women in Prison. (2006). Available Online
  http//www.womeninprison.org.uk