Book Review: Women and Punishment - The Struggle for Justice
| Date | 01 September 2002 |
| Published date | 01 September 2002 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455050204900315 |
| Author | Nicola Carr |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
clawback’.
This book contains contributions from
various leading women authors from
REVIEWS Canada, North America and the United
Kingdom, all of whom have expertise in
the arena of Women and Punishment,
whether it be as criminologists,
campaigners for penal reform or
professionals within the Criminal Justice
System. The book is divided into three
distinct categories focusing on: context,
practice and critique. There is a tension
inherent within the book between the
ideological positions explored by some
of the authors and the actualties of
transferring these into practice. Raising
the questions: if you disagree with the
imprisonment of women in principle, how
can you be party to attempts to achieve
piecemeal reforms, and do these attempts
actually make the situation worse?
The tension is perhaps best
Women and Punishment – The
exemplified in the contribution of
Struggle for Justice
Hannah-Moffat (p.216), who focuses on
Pat Carlen (ed)
the Canadian experience, (which has
strong parallels to the British context),
Willan Publishing, 2002;
who states – “While most reformers and
pp265; £17.99, pbk
activists are well aware of the dangers of
ISBN 1-903240-57-3
co-optation ... they remain committed to
Between 1993 and 2001 the female prison
political action. Thus, it is best to do
population in England and Wales
something than nothing.”
increased by 145%. This startling statistic
In the practice section of the book
is cited in the last footnote of this book,
there are four chapters on programmes/
which examines current trends in the
regimes, which have sought to specifically
punishment of women. The rise in the
address the needs of female offenders.
number of women being imprisoned in
Two of the chapters are from the North
England and Wales comes at a time when
American perspective. Kate De Cou, a
the prison estate is bursting at the seams.
deputy governor in a Correctional Institute
The government has responded by
in Massachusetts, describes how in her
announcing that two...
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