NCJ Number
167520
Date Published
1995
Length
33 pages
Annotation
Developments leading to separate correctional institutions for women in Europe and the United States are historically reviewed.
Abstract
By the 19th century, most women who committed petty offenses were sentenced to local prisons. Lack of concern about women and systematic exploitation of women meant that women often endured much poorer confinement conditions than men convicted of similar offenses. The impetus for setting up separate prisons for women was in large part disciplinary, and the segregation of female inmates was primarily the result of aggressive campaigning by middle-class women who took an intense interest in the welfare of female inmates. While local jails continued to cater to most offenders throughout the 19th century, the problem of how to deal with more serious offenders encouraged the development of state or central government prisons in Europe and the United States. The nature of life in prison was measurably determined by building constraints. Perceptions of criminal women continued to differ from perceptions of criminal men, and attitudes toward criminal women represented a major stumbling block for female inmates who wanted to start life over. The last part of the 19th century was a period of considerable innovation in prisons for women in both Europe and the United States, while the early 20th century was a period of disillusionment with 19th century innovations. References and photographs