NCJ Number
84714
Date Published
1981
Length
15 pages
Annotation
The characteristics of the female prison population in Great Britain and issues raised about the penal system's treatment of women are examined.
Abstract
Throughout its history, the British penal system, which was designed for men, has paid little attention to women's special needs. In 1979, the average daily prison population of women was 1,130 prisoners under sentence; 170 criminal prisoners awaiting trial; and 139 who were convicted but unsentenced. In contrast, about 40,000 men are in jail. However, the female prison population has grown more rapidly than the male prison population. Most females in prison are convicted of theft, often for trivial amounts. It is widely believed that women's prisons are harder to run than prisons for men and that they are tense places with a constant potential for hysteria and violence. This situation is variously attributed to women's inability to withstand prison life as well as men, to the increasing numbers of disturbed and subnormal women sent to prison, and to women's reactions to the loss of their customary social roles as caretakers of the home and children. The emotions and tensions generated by women in prison help them deal with imprisonment but do not help prepare them for the outside world. Proposals to change the penal system for women by offering more community-based projects and preventive services all lie outside the scope of the prison system and depend on changes in the courts and in the criminal justice system. The reform efforts and experiences of the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and the United States concerning women in prison are instructive for Great Britain, where the subject has not yet had a full hearing. Tables, a list of 21 references, and a summary of a discussion of the paper are included.