In the mix: struggle and survival in a women's prison

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Owen, Barbara, Author.

Series:

SUNY series in Women, Crime, and Criminology

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (232 p.)

Place of Publication:

[Place of publication not identified] State University of New York Press 1998

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Describes life inside the world's largest women's prison, from the point of view of the women themselves.The first book-length treatment of the nature of prison culture among women in thirty years, "In the Mix" describes the prison culture in a large California prison, from the point of view of the women themselves. Based on three years of study, including participant-observation, in-depth interviews and surveys, this book describes the daily life of the prison from a variety of perspectives, with an emphasis on the gendered nature of its social organization, roles and normative frameworks.The title, "In the Mix," describes the contours of prison culture and its themes of trouble, programming and relationships. Common themes, such as the impact of substance use, limited economic opportunity, patriarchy, survival on the streets and in the prison, thread through the individual chapters. Owen argues that prison culture for women is tied directly to the role of women in society as well as a dynamic social structure that is shaped by the conditions of women's lives in prison and in the "free world."

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

An Introductory Note

Acknowledgments

1. In the Mix: Struggle and Survival in a Women's Prison

2. A Quasi-Ethnography of Women in Prison: An Overview of Methods

3. Pathways to Imprisonment: Women's Lives before Incarceration

4. Time and Place

5. Relationships Inside and Out

6. The Mix: The Culture of Imprisoned Women

Notes

Bibliography

Subject Index

Author Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

ISBN:

1-4384-1527-3

0-585-09018-1