Historical criminology research on prisons in England comes across as genderless. Yet, these histories reflect the story of male prisons – not least because there have been many historical records to draw upon. When we say the ‘invisibility’ of female prisoners, it is meant to suggest that the experiences and needs of women have been ignored. Many have argued that prisons are ‘a man’s world; made for men, by men’, and therefore, women have been subjected to regimes designed to deal with the needs faced by the larger prison population, that of men. When attempts are made to examine the history of female prisons, because, as put by Zedner (1994:100) ‘to suggest that they [women prisoners] were simply “not foreseen” is patently implausible’ – requests are made for comparative analysis. This sort of intellectual chastisement has fostered the reproduction of theoretical frameworks shaped upon ‘a masculinist vision of the past’.
read the full review on: Women, History, Invisibility and Prisons: A contribution to the Women’s History Month, The British Society of Criminology Blog, 10 March 2020
Watch this talk on the topic: