Description:
An international cross-regional and cross-cultural comparison of how women experience incarceration, encompassing various historical, social, economic, and systemic factors unique to those regions.
The issue of women's imprisonment is a complex and multifaceted one, as women face unique challenges behind bars, compared to their male counterparts. Although imprisoned women around the world may share common hardships, their experiences also vary according their specific social and regional circumstances. This volume takes a global view of incarcerated women, examining the cultural, historical, economical, and political influences that affect their imprisonment. Addressing the historical context of women's prisons across all geographical regions of the world, each chapter dives deep into the local female incarceration trends over time, and the influencing laws and policies; the physical and mental health issues women face in prison, including mental illness, substance abuse, sexual abuse, and pregnancy; as well as re-entry programs, recidivism, and policy reform. Written by an expert in the field of criminal justice and gender studies, this is a useful primer for research into the topic of women and incarceration around the world.Brief description: Francesca Spina is Chair and Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Westfield State University in Westfield, USA. Her research focuses on gender, incarceration, and criminal justice policy. She is the editor of The Routledge Companion to Gender and Crime (2025) and has published widely on corrections, sentencing, and social inequality.