Incarceration of Women

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the fourth section of Elihu Rosenblatt' book "Criminal Injustice" which deals in particular with the clarification of gender issues and how these issues relate to prison reform. It examines how it addresses the particular stresses women face when exposed to punishment and the stresses of incarceration in the criminal justice system. It evaluates the misconceptions that often women's prisons are viewed as easier or less stringent then men's prisons and that women are "less punished" than men.

From the Paper:

"The women's control unit featured highlights the difficulties women face in the real world of corrections. Women are judged not only as criminals, but also for their failure to obey certain societal, feminine norms as wives, mothers, or girlfriends. When women become judged as criminals, they are seen as not only forfeiting their rights as citizens, much like men, but also as forfeiting their rights as wives, mothers, girlfriends, daughters, etc. They, in essence, become viewed as "nonpersons" rather than individuals in need of rehabilitation, much less individuals still possessing a certain set of basic human rights. The controls set in action to monitor their behavior within a prison reflects this perception. Exposure to their children, for instance, is used as a method of control, when women have children."

More papers on Incarceration of Women:

• Persuasive Essay # 148819 : "Treatment of Women in the Criminal Justice System"
• Term Paper # 108437 : "The Social Control of Girls"
• Research Paper # 117037 : "HIV Interventions and Incarceration"

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