NCJ Number
211087
Journal
Prison Journal: An International Forum on Incarceration and Alternative Sanctions Volume: 85 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2005 Pages: 343-367
Date Published
September 2005
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This study explored how friendship bonds helped women inmates cope and adjust to prison life.
Abstract
Researchers have long been interested in relationship formation among women prisoners, yet most of this research has focused on the formation of pseudofamily or homosexual relationships among female inmates. The current study explored how the formation of less intimate friendship bonds aided women prisoners in their adjustment to prison and in their daily coping strategies. Unstructured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 40 randomly sampled women incarcerated at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, which houses all security levels of inmates. Interviews focused on personal background, perceptions of prison experiences, expectations for release, and their experiences with friendship relationships in prison. Results of qualitative analysis indicate that informal friendship networks within women’s prisons provide more vital support than family, significant others, and hometown friends during the incarceration period. Female inmate support in times of need was even available from relatively superficial associates in prison. The findings bring up interesting questions about the role that informal inmate support networks could fulfill in the future in terms of reducing recidivism among released inmates. References