NCJ Number
229721
Journal
Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Dated: 2009 Pages: 161-177
Date Published
2009
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Using qualitative interviews, this study examined Swedish female prisoners' conceptions and feelings about their own bodies.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to explore female prisoners' relationship toward their bodies by means of qualitative interviews. The authors interviewed 14 female prisoners aged 22-53 years. Four were convicted for violent crimes, seven for drug crimes, and three for more than one crime. All of them had been addicted to drugs and the most frequently used drug was amphetamine. To analyse the participants' relationship toward their bodies we used a thematic analysis. The main result encompasses three phenomena: worries about weight, negative emotions toward the body, and negative thoughts about the body. Analyses revealed that the female prisoners' relationship toward their bodies is a changeable process. The analyses also showed that experience of physical and sexual abuse was a very important factor for understanding these women's relationship toward their bodies. Figure and references (Published Abstract)