Description
Written by two leading authorities in the field, this book provides an introduction to the issues surrounding women's imprisonment. Throughout the world there have been rapid increases in the numbers of women in prison, which has led to an acceleration of interest in women's crimes and the social control of women, and how women's experience of both prison and the criminal justice system is very different to men's. This book addresses the key issues relating to women's imprisonment, contributing at the same time to an understanding of prison issues in general and the historical and contemporary politics of gender and penal justice. What are women's issues for? What are they like? Why are lone mothers, ethnic minorities and very poor women disproportionately represented in women's prison population? Should babies be sent to prison with their mothers? Can knowledge of women's imprisonment be better informed by various theories, research studies, philosophies of punishment and cultural ana
