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The Female Prison Experience

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Women and Prison

Abstract

Incarcerated females have unique background characteristics that shape and influence the prison experience. Much of the research on the perceptions and experiences of incarcerated individuals is limited to males. However, as the number of women in the correctional system has increased over the past several decades, more research has considered how the prison experience varies by gender. Research on incarcerated populations has found gender differences in the subcultures formed, behavioral adjustment, and need for social support during incarceration. Incarcerated females place more importance on relationships during incarceration, which is related to institutional adjustment. Females tend to commit less serious behavioral infractions during their incarceration suggesting that adjustment may be strongly related to emotional factors such as stress and anxiety. Further, the need for social support during incarceration and post-release tends to be more salient for female offenders. More research is necessary to determine which programs may best counteract the negative effects of incarceration for females.

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  1. University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA

    Haley R. Zettler

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Correspondence to Haley R. Zettler .

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  1. University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA, USA

    Jada Hector

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Zettler, H.R. (2020). The Female Prison Experience. In: Hector, J. (eds) Women and Prison. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46172-0_5

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