Imposition of despair—An ethnography of women in prison

Abstract

An ethnography, or cultural description, of women's prisons has been developed from observations and interview information collected at two different minimum security prisons for women in the State of New Mexico. 1 The research follows in the tradition of the early studies of men's prisons and provides a dynamic explanation of the cultural categories of incarcerated women.

The ‘Inside’ Story: Practitioner Perspectives on Teaching in Prison

“…In an environment where suspicion and mistrust characterises so much of the human associations (Mahan 1984), isolation pervades and victimisation and risk are everyday experiences (O'Donnell and Edgar 1998), it is no wonder that the opportunity to speak to a trusted, non-custodial outsider was utilised fully. Recent research confirms the place of educational staff in the prison structure stating: 'they're there for you, not only for education but to talk to as well.…”

“…The apparently inconsequential 'informal' interactions or so-called 'chat' conducted in the classroom at Maghaberry, dismissed so readily by the prison officers as frivolous was actually laying the foundations for the 'trust and relationships' so vital for the development of a learning culture or learning community within the prison. 'Social capital is not something that can be instantly or even rapidly created' (Schuller 2001, p.20) and in an environment where suspicion and mistrust characterises so much of the human associations (Mahan 1984) trust is not easily developed and may take considerable time and effort. The close bonds developed during the cellbased activities also formed the trust necessary for social capital to emerge.…”

Health Care for Women Inmates

“…Some caution must be used when reporting outcomes of studies that examine the perspectives of inmates or their caretakers regarding the care received and provided. Many of these studies focus on a single facility or system making some of their findings hard to generalize (Ammar & Erez, 2000;Belknap, 1997;Kane & DiBartolo, 2002;Lindquist & Lindquist, 1999;Maeve, 1999;Vaughn & Smith, 1999) and some have small sample sizes (Kane & DiBartolo, 2002;Maeve, 1999;Mahan, 1984;Young, 2000). Some of the studies may focus only on the perspectives of a single group, leaving out the views of others who may have alternative explanations.…”

“…Some inmates have articulated the view that "prison was their 'big chance' to get healthy," in light of their prior lack of access to this resource (Maeve, 1999, p. 62). Medical care in corrections may also be perceived by inmates as a defense against the hostile nature of prisons and jails (Mahan, 1984). This optimism, however, can be dashed by the realities of what is possible within correctional health care systems, where limitations include not only scarce resources, but also concerns for safety and the need to maintain boundaries between the care providers and the women they treat (Ammar & Erez, 2000).…”

“…Another problem reported in studies of inmates' perceptions of their health care indicates a view that medical providers are apathetic toward the needs of inmates (Belknap, 1997;Dobash et al, 1986;Maeve, 1999;Mahan, 1984;Young, 2000). This view is exemplified by one prisoner's sense that "They don't seem to care what happens to you.…”