Skip to main content

Female Offenders and the Inmate Subculture

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Female Prisoners, AIDS, and Peer Programs

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Psychology ((BRIEFSPSYCHOL))

  • 891 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter will consider the pains of imprisonment for women and their methods of adaptation during incarceration, particularly the creation of play families. The mode of adaptation espoused by an offender in prison can negatively or positively impact rehabilitative and reintegrative success. The importance of embracing a new conventional role while incarcerated and obtaining support for that role, during incarceration and post-release, will be highlighted. HIV prison-based programming as a way to develop conventional roles and mitigate adherence to the inmate code is considered.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 34.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 49.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Atchley, R., & McCabe, P. (1968). Socialization in correctional communities: A replication. American Sociological Review, 33(1), 774–785.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bowker, L. (1981). Gender differences in prisoner subcultures. In L. Bowker (Ed.), Women and crime in America (pp. 409–419). New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, B., & Spevacek, J. (1971). Disciplinary offenses and offenders at two differing correctional institutions. Corrective Psychiatry and Journal of Social Therapy, 17(4), 48–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cao, L., Zhao, J., & Van Dine, S. (1997). Prison disciplinary tickets: A test of the deprivation and importation models. Journal of Criminal Justice, 25(2), 103–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casey-Acevedo, K. (2001). The effect of time on the disciplinary adjustment of women in prison. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 45(4), 489–497.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casey-Acevedo, K., & Bakken, T. (2003). Women adjusting to prison: Disciplinary behavior and the characteristics of adjustment. Journal of Health and Social Policy, 17(4), 37–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clemmer, D. (1940). The prison community. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cranford, S., & Williams, R. (1998, December). Critical issues in managing female offenders. Corrections Today, 60(7), 130–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeBell, J. (2001). The female offender: Different…not difficult. Corrections Today, 63(1), 56–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dobash, R., Dobash, R. E., & Gutteridge, S. (1986). The imprisonment of women. New York, NY: Basil Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eaton, M. (1993). Women after prison. Philadelphia, PA: Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flanagan, T. (1983). Correlates of institutional misconduct among state prisoners. Criminology, 21(1), 29–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flangan, T. (1980). Time served and institutional misconduct: Patterns of involvement in disciplinary infractions among long-term and short-term inmates. Journal of Criminal Justice, 8(5), 357–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fox, J. (1984). Women’s prison policy, prisoner activism, and the impact of the contemporary feminist movement: A case study. 64(2), 15–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Genders, E., & Player, E. (1990). Women lifers: Assessing the experience. 70(1), 46–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giallombardo, R. (1966). Society of women: A study of a woman’s prison. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodstein, L., & Wright, K. (1989). Inmate adjustment to prison. In L. Goodstein & D. Mackenzie (Eds.), The American prison: Issues in research and policy (pp. 229–251). New York, NY: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greer, K. (2000). The changing nature of interpersonal relationships in a women’s prison. 80(4), 442–468.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heffernan, E. (1972). Making it in prison: The square, the cool, and the life. New York, NY: Wiley-Interscience.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hewitt, J., Poole, E., & Regoli, R. (1984). Self-reported and observed rule breaking in prison: A look at disciplinary response. Justice Quarterly, 1(3), 437–447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Humphrey, E. (1987). Review of the literature on female security issues. State of New York Department of Correctional Services Office of Classification and Movement and Division of Program Planning Research and Evaluation

    Google Scholar 

  • Irwin, J., & Cressey, D. (1962). Thieves, convicts, and the inmate culture. Social Problems, 10(2), 142–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, G. (1977). Age and rule-breaking in prison: A test of sociocultural interpretations. Criminology, 14(4), 555–566.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, G., & Jones, D. (1976). Perspectives on inmate culture: A study of women in prison. Social Forces, 54(3), 590–603.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, R. (1993). Coping with separation: Adaptive responses of women prisoners. Women and Criminal Justice, 5(1), 71–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R., & McLeod, J. (1984). Sex differences in vulnerability to undesirable life events. American Sociological Review, 49(5), 620–631.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koons, B., Burrow, J., Morash, M., & Bynum, T. (1997). Expert and offender perceptions of program elements linked to successful outcomes for incarcerated women. Crime and Delinquency, 43(4), 512–532.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kruttschnitt, C., & Krmpotich, S. (1990). Aggressive behavior among female inmates: An exploration study. Justice Quarterly, 7(2), 371–389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larson, J., & Nelson, J. (1984). Women, friendship, and adaptation to prison. Journal of Criminal Justice, 12(6), 601–615.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leger, R. (1987). Lesbianism among women prisoners: Participants and nonparticipants. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 14(4), 448–467.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linquist, C. (1980). Prison discipline and the female offender. Journal of Offender Counseling, Services, and Rehabilitation, 4(4), 305–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Long, G., Sultan, F., Kiefer, S., & Schrum, D. (1984). The psychological profile of the female first offender and the recidivist: A comparison. Journal of Offender Counseling, Services, and Rehabilitation, 9 (1/2), 119–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • LPSSC (The Lifers Public Safety Steering Committee of the State Correctional institution at Graterford, Pennsylvania). (2004). Ending the culture of street crime. 84(4), 48S–68S.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacKenzie, D. (1987). Age and adjustment to prison: Interactions with attitudes and anxiety. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 14(4), 427–447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacKenzie, D., & Goodstein, L. (1985). Long term incarceration impacts and characteristics of long-term offenders: An empirical analysis. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 12(4), 395–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacKenzie, D., Robinson, J., & Campbell, C. (1989). Long-term incarceration of female offenders: Prison adjustment and coping. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 16(2), 223–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCarthy, B. (1980). Inmate mothers: The problems of separation and reintegration. Journal of Offender Counseling, Services, and Rehabilitation, 4(3), 199–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McClellan, D. (1994). Disparity in the discipline of male and female inmates in Texas prisons. Women and Criminal Justice, 5(2), 71–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCorkle, R., Miethe, T., & Drass, K. (1995). The roots of prison violence: A test of the deprivation, management, and ‘not-so-total’ institution models. Crime and Delinquency, 41(3), 317–331.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Owen, B. (2004). Women and imprisonment in the United States: The gendered consequences of the U.S. imprisonment binge. In B. Price & N. Sokoloff (Eds.), The criminal justice system and women: Offenders, prisoners, victims, and workers (3rd ed., pp. 195–206). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pollock, J. (1984). Women will be women: Correctional officers’ perceptions of the emotionality of women inmates. The Prison Journal, 64(1), 84–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pollock-Byrne, J. (1990). Women, prison and crime. California, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poole, E., & Regoli, R. (1980). Race, institutional rule breaking, and disciplinary response: A study of discretionary making in prison. Law and Society Review, 14(4), 931–946.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Propper, A. (1982). Make-believe families and homosexuality among imprisoned girls. Criminology, 20(1), 127–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramirez, J. (1983). Race and the apprehension of inmate misconduct. Journal of Criminal Justice, 11(5), 413–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reed, D., & Reed, E. (2004). Mothers in prison and their children. In B. Price & N. Sokoloff (Eds.), The criminal justice system and women: Offenders, prisoners, victims, and workers (3rd ed., pp. 261–273). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reisig, M., Holtfreter, K., & Morash, M. (2002). Social capital among women offenders: Examining the distribution of social networks and resources. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 18(2), 167–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richards, B. (1978). The experience of long term imprisonment: An exploratory investigation. British Journal of Criminology, 18(2), 162–169.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schrag, C. (1944). Social role types in a prison community. Master’s thesis, University of Washington, Seattle

    Google Scholar 

  • Smart, C. (1976). Women, crime, and criminology: A feminist critique. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sommers, I., Baskin, D., & Fagan, J. (1994). Getting out of the life: Crime desistance by female street offenders. Deviant Behavior, 15(2), 125–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephan, J. (1989). Prison rule violators. Bureau of justice statistics special report. Washington DC: US Department of Justice

    Google Scholar 

  • Suter, J., Byrne, M., Byrne, S., Howells, K., & Day, A. (2002). Anger in prisoners: Women are different from men. Personality and Individual Differences, 32(6), 1087–1100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sykes, G. (1958). The society of captives: A study of maximum security prisons. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sykes, G., & Messinger, S. (1960). Inmate social systems. In R. Cloward (Ed.), Theoretical studies in social organization of the prison (pp. 5–19). New York, NY: Social Science Research Council.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tischler, C., & Marquart, J. (1989). Analysis of disciplinary infraction rates among female and male inmates. Journal of Criminal Justice, 17(6), 507–513.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Toch, H., & Adams, K. (1986). Pathology and disruptiveness among prison inmates. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 23(1), 7–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Toch, H., & Grant, D. (1989). Noncoping and maladaptation in confinement. In L. Goodstein & D. Mackenzie (Eds.), The American prison: Issues in research and policy. New York, NY: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, S. (1961). Socialization in correctional communities. American Sociological Review, 26(5), 694–712.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, S., Freinek, W., & Shaffer, J. (1966). Frequency and severity of rule infractions as criteria of prison maladjustment. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 22(2), 244–248.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wolfgang, M. (1961). Quantitative analysis of adjustment to the prison community. The Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology, and Police Science, 51(6), 607–618.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, K. (1999). A study of individual, environmental, and interactive effects in explaining adjustment to prison. Justice Quarterly, 8(2), 217–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 The Author

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Collica, K. (2013). Female Offenders and the Inmate Subculture. In: Female Prisoners, AIDS, and Peer Programs. SpringerBriefs in Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5110-5_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics