NCJ Number
94304
Journal
Prison Journal Volume: 64 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring/Summer 1984) Pages: 57-67
Date Published
1984
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This article looks at the writing of women prisoners in order to contribute to an understanding of this unique genre, which has been given only scant attention over the years.
Abstract
While works by male prisoners often deal romantically or stoically with transcendence and heroism, women's works tend to be specific, with a concrete audience, form, purpose, content, and viewpoint. The female inmate intends not just to escape prison's imposed isolation but to communicate some point about the unrelenting reality of her experience. Letters are the main form of communication used by women prisoners They emphasize direct discussion of events, people, physical surroundings, and activities. Some women write autobiographies or prison memoirs to reach a wider audience. Some demonstrate the continuity of women's prison writing and their own awareness of a tradition in women's prison literature. Women prisoners' attitudes toward other female inmates are not monolithic; there are two categories of prison writing classified according to attitudes toward other inmates: works written in a spirit of camaraderie and those written in a spirit of discomfort. Women prisoners are often able to construct a persona, or image of themselves, that they want to project to their audience. In this way, they can maintain some control over their world and regain some pride and sense of responsibility often lost in prison. Because women's prison writing is realistic, much can be learned from it about women and society in general. Excerpts from several works of women prisoners are included. A total of 25 references are supplied.