Are The ‘pains’ Of Imprisonment Evenly Distributed Among Inmates? Relation To Gender.

Women typically tend to commit fewer crimes and commit less serious offences (Cavadino, Dignan and Mair, 2013). With the prison population being roughly 85,000 with only roughly 4,000 of them being women, there is evidence to suggest that the pains of imprisonment are not distributed evenly among inmates but rather that women suffer the pains more than men. Despite most crime being unthinkable without the company of men (Jefferson, 1992 cited in Collier, 1998) those women who end up incarcerated are treated harshly. With only twelve prisons in the UK, prisons for females are limited in space, limited in activities and educational programs and also reinforce the historical view that women who commit crime are seen as doubly deviant.

As women only represent roughly 5% of the overall prison population in the UK (Women in Prison, 2015), it can be argued they feel the pains of imprisonment much more than men due to prisons geographic locations. Although paradoxical, due to the small proportion of women in prison, there is a severe limited amount of space holding female inmates (Matthews, 2009) with England only containing twelve female prisons, one in Scotland and none in Wales (Women in Prison, 2015). & &It can be argued due to men being the dominant ones in prison, female prisons are modelled on institutions for men therefore are dominated by men s needs thus leading to women feeling the pains of imprisonment more because they haven t been designed for female needs (McIvor cited in Currie,2012). Lack of prisons means that those women who are incarcerated are most likely to be in a prison with a long distance from home which is more common with female prisoners than males (Matthews, 2009) . This not only causes a female offender to feel isolated, it also makes family visits with children extremely difficult causing detrimental harm to children by the incarceration of their mother (Minson, Nadin and Earle, 2015).

The lack of prisons for women has lead to prisons containing a vast variety of ages and the types of crime committed by an offender. Due to a mix of ages in female prisons, young women who find themselves incarcerated are almost invisible (Chesney-Lind and Pasko cited in Collier, 1998) despite being the most vulnerable. For example, a young woman of twenty may be sentenced in prison or shoplifting with inmates who have been sentenced for murder. For those women who have committed lesser offences, being socialised with those serving harsher sentences can be an example as to how women suffer pains of imprisonment more than men as vulnerable young girls who are sentenced for petty crimes are surrounded by elderly women who may be sentenced for much serious offences. This is less likely in male prisons as prison wings are separated. & &In a discussion paper on prison reform trust, a female offender is quoted stating I was mixing with people that were serving life... I went in for shoplifting and came out one of the best fraudsters going (Minson, Nadin and Earle, 2015). & &As one of the aims for prisons is minimising rates of reoffending, having female inmates socialise in such way can actually increase chances of reoffending therefore failing women in terms of the reforming process . Therefore, the pains of imprisonment also remain even after they leave prison as what should deter them from committing a crime, could actually lead to re-committing in a different way. Furthermore, as female prisons lack space, many offenders have to share cells with those suffering from mental health conditions such as depression or suffering drug/alcohol addictions. The Corston report of 2007 claimed for those women not suffering with their own mental health, sharing a cell can be damaging and can be an exceptionally frightening experience and unprepared for (Currie, 2012). The Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2007 (Currie, 2012) claim female prisons are managed and follow the same guidelines as men s therefore there is no differentiation between genders leading to similar treatment but with very different needs.

Not only do women suffer in prison due to the small amounts of prisons in the UK, the prisons that are available lack space therefore lack work, training and educational programmes which most male prisons do not due to more space and funding. Most female prisons only have the availability of household work such as cleaning of the prison and cooking for other inmates whereas men in prison have more activities available such as gym access and field work (Collier, 1998). The lack of educational programmes leaves the women lacking in qualifications and minimises their chances of success once they leave prison. This is a fundamental error in female prisons as it shows uneven distribution of pain in imprisonment as male prisons contain varieties of educational and work programmes. Consequently, the pains of imprisonment for women will still be visible once they leave as the lack of skills and qualifications could possibly lead to the women being unemployed or feeling hopeless and possibly reoffend. As most women in prison are characterised as being from the most disadvantaged strands of society with poor educational attainment and employment (Matthews, 2009) providing women with educational programmes would be beneficial and help them progress during their time in prison and once they leave.

A press release from the ministry of justice released pledges to enhance educational programmes for females in prison as not enough has been done (Ministry Of Justice, 2014). Furthermore, Bastick and Townhead (2008, cited in Currie, 2012) argue female prisons are discriminated against on aspects such as opportunity for employment and healthcare.

In line with female stereotyping, women who commit crime are seen as breaking the rules of femininity and as female prisons lack educational programmes/ training, it can be argued that they re sent to prison over paternalistic concerns of the women s welfare which can be seen as more intrusive than sentences given to male offenders (Heidensohn 1985 cited in Cavadino, 2013). & &As mentioned, most female s prisons have emphasis on domestic activities such ask cooking and cleaning which can be described as having little relevance of reality (Eaton cited in Matthews, 2009 p.192). This argument shows how prisons institutionally try to reform women to become women again and could be seen as the double deviance theory because the woman is breaking the law but also betraying womanhood. By making women perform feminine roles even in prison is seen as a punishment. & &Gender and Player argue such punishment and traditional domestic roles emphasise the subordination of women and shows the dominance of patriarchal control (Genders and Player, cited in Currie, 2012).

However, whether prisons are actually helping women become reformed can be debated. A review carried out by the Prisons Inspectorate of Prisons (Matthews, 2009. p.190) found that almost 40% of the women had self harmed or had attempted suicide and just over half had children under the age of 16. It is evident that women who are imprisoned are amongst one of the most vulnerable in society and it is assumed that prisons would take an active role in reforming women for when released. Nonetheless, the Prison Inspectorate research (Matthews, 2009. p.191) found that 55% of the women interviewed argued they had received little or no help in prison and 40% of women argued that their experience in prison had no helped improved themselves at all (Matthews, 2009. p.191). Despite the severity of women in prison with mental health issues, only one in ten had received counselling whilst in prison with the majority of women needing more help with their drug/alcohol addictions. The lack of help emphasises that most vulnerable women find imprisonment a difficult experience thus showing how the pains of imprisonment are distributed unevenly as some groups in prison are offered more help than others.

Arguments as to how and why the pains of imprisonment are not equally distributed are deeply engraved into the historical view of females who break the law and how they are viewed socially and in the criminal justice system. The evil woman theory (Nagal and Hagan, 1983 cited in Cavadino, 2013) is an example as to how women receive harsher treatment in prison and by criminal justice authorities. They argue women harshly feel the pains of imprisonment more because they have betrayed their womanhood . & &Cook and Davies 1999 (cited in Currie, 2012) argue those women who end up in custody are often portrayed as masculine and unworthy due to going against their gender norms Female offenders are seen as doubly deviant because firstly, they have broken the law like men but secondly, because they have gone against the social norm of being feminine. Because crime is seen as a male phenomena , when females commit a crime, punishments are more severe not only by longer sentences but the experience in custody is seen as more painful and harsher. Academics argue that the pains of imprisonment seem harsher for women as the structure of prisons is organised from a male perspective (Coyle, 2005 cited in Currie, 2012).

Evidence suggests that women are also subject to more provision and surveillance than men (Devlin, 1998 cited in Matthews, 2009 p.192). Women s moods and movements are monitored much more which can be partly due to the view that women are sent to prison be reformed due to breaking the law and their gender roles (Dobash etal, 1986 cited in Matthews, 2009).As a part of a more punitive stance, working class mothers in the twenty-first century experienced an increase in tutelary supervision ( Donzelor 1979, cited in Blomberg and Cohen, 2003 p.126). Such surveillance can lead to individuals feeling dependent on constant supervision which can stop women from developing themselves during their time in prison.

However, despite arguments that women may feel the pains of imprisonment because of the different material, physical and social conditions (Matthews, 2009 p.192), there are arguments to suggest times where women are treated in a more sympathetic manner. As women are no longer strip searched internally unless there is sufficient reason, this can be said to be more sympathetic to a woman s experience of imprisonment. Stopping internal strip searches amongst women was done due to almost half of the women in prisons claiming reports of abuse and almost one third sexually (Matthews, 2009. p.190). However, due to the statistics of male sexual abuse being significantly lower than women and who are still strip searched, those men who have suffered abuse but have not reported so may struggle severely with the routinely internal strip searches.

Despite evidence suggesting that the pains of imprisonment not being distributed evenly among inmates, there is evidence that a minority of females actually prefer being inside of prison rather than out. The Prison Inspectorate (Matthews, 2009) reported that the majority of women in prison claimed a job, money and a permanent home to live in would help them get their lives on track and reduce possible reoffending. However due to prisons lack of educational attainment, women often find themselves unable to achieve this. As 70% of women had no previous employment and problems with accommodation before entering prison (Matthews, 2009), being in prison where women are under care and provided with a bed and food, is a better reality than the one outside of prison. As Morris and Wilkinson (cited in Matthews, 2009) found over 60% of women lived only on benefits with a third living in debt.

With the evidence provided above, it is clear that the majority of women in prison do feel the pains of imprisonment more than others. The experiences women feel in prison often link heavily to their psychological being and mental health far more than they do for men partly due to the fact that many academics believe prisons are designed by men, for men therefore ignore the needs of women in prison. By ignoring women s basic needs, it is evident that women will suffer more in prison as their needs are not catered for therefore showing how the pains of imprisonment are not distributed evenly among inmates.