Women in Prison: A Reference Handbook

(Hardback)

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Description

A concise survey of the treatment of jailed women in America since the early 1800s, their unique problems, the effect on their families, and the state of prisons today. Except for lurid exploitation movies, incarcerated women are ignored by society. Yet because of mandatory sentences and "three strikes" legislation their number is growing rapidly. What's more, everything is complicated by the fact that the prisoners are also mothers and family caregivers. This new book takes readers behind the bars. Focusing on an often-overlooked subject, this volume explores women's incarceration, from the first women-only prison to modern state-of-the-art facilities. It explores controversies, problems, and solutions, such as excessive discipline, the lack of training programs, sexual abuse, medical services, and visitation policies. The book also investigates key issues such as the background of inmates, the disproportionate number of African American prisoners because of the "war on drugs", and how women cope with the separation from their children and families. A full chapter is devoted to important people and events, from the first female jail keeper in 1822 to changing prison goals and the impact of feminism.

Reviews

"[A]nother addition to the thoroughly admirable Contemporary World Issues series. The books, available in print and e-book formats, are attractively produced and organized and filled with useful information for those interested in learning more about the 'vital issues' addressed by these volumes... This volume includes a rather extensive index. Altogether, this volume seems to meet the uniformly high standards of other volumes in this series. Although these volumes are primarily intended for students and interested members of the public, and are most appropriately acquired by secondary school and college libraries as well as public libraries, they will also provide scholars on women in prison with a handy reference source." - American Reference Books Annual

Author Bio

Cyndi Banks is associate professor of criminal justice at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ.