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This book traces the lived experiences of women lawbreakers in the
state of Pennsylvania from 1820 to 1860 through the records of more
than six thousand criminal court cases. By following these women
from the perpetration of their crimes through the state's efforts
to punish and reform them, Erica Rhodes Hayden places them at the
center of their own stories. Women constituted a small percentage
of those tried in courtrooms and sentenced to prison terms during
the nineteenth century, yet their experiences offer valuable
insight into the era's criminal justice system. Hayden illuminates
how criminal punishment and reform intersected with larger social
issues of the time, including questions of race, class, and gender,
and reveals how women prisoners actively influenced their situation
despite class disparities. Hayden's focus on recovering the
individual experiences of women in the criminal justice system
across the state of Pennsylvania marks a significant shift from
studies that focus on the structure and leadership of penal
institutions and reform organizations in urban centers. Troublesome
Women advances our understanding of female crime and punishment in
the antebellum period and challenges preconceived notions of
nineteenth-century womanhood. Scholars of women's history and the
history of crime and punishment, as well as those interested in
Pennsylvania history, will benefit greatly from Hayden's thorough
and fascinating research.
This book traces the lived experiences of women lawbreakers in the
state of Pennsylvania from 1820 to 1860 through the records of more
than six thousand criminal court cases. By following these women
from the perpetration of their crimes through the state's efforts
to punish and reform them, Erica Rhodes Hayden places them at the
center of their own stories. Women constituted a small percentage
of those tried in courtrooms and sentenced to prison terms during
the nineteenth century, yet their experiences offer valuable
insight into the era's criminal justice system. Hayden illuminates
how criminal punishment and reform intersected with larger social
issues of the time, including questions of race, class, and gender,
and reveals how women prisoners actively influenced their situation
despite class disparities. Hayden's focus on recovering the
individual experiences of women in the criminal justice system
across the state of Pennsylvania marks a significant shift from
studies that focus on the structure and leadership of penal
institutions and reform organizations in urban centers. Troublesome
Women advances our understanding of female crime and punishment in
the antebellum period and challenges preconceived notions of
nineteenth-century womanhood. Scholars of women's history and the
history of crime and punishment, as well as those interested in
Pennsylvania history, will benefit greatly from Hayden's thorough
and fascinating research.
The story of the rise of prisons and development of prison systems
in the United States has been studied extensively in scholarship,
but the experiences of female inmates in these institutions have
not received the same attention. Historically, women incarcerated
in prison, jails, and reformatories accounted for a small number of
inmates across the United States. Early on, they were often held in
prisons alongside men and faced neglect, exploitation, and poor
living conditions. Various attempts to reform them, ranging from
moral instruction and education to domestic training, faced
opposition at times from state officials, prison employees, and
even male prison reformers. Due to the consistent small populations
and relative neglect the women often faced, their experiences in
prison have been understudied. This collection of essays seeks to
recapture the perspective on women's prison experience from a range
of viewpoints. This edited collection will explore the challenges
women faced as inmates, their efforts to exert agency or control
over their lives and bodies, how issues of race and social class
influenced experiences, and how their experiences differed from
that of male inmates. Contributions extend from the early
nineteenth century into the twenty-first century to provide an
opportunity to examine change over time with regards to female
imprisonment. Furthermore, the chapters examine numerous geographic
regions, allowing for readers to analyze how place and environment
shapes the inmate experience.
The story of the rise of prisons and development of prison systems
in the United States has been studied extensively in scholarship,
but the experiences of female inmates in these institutions have
not received the same attention. Historically, women incarcerated
in prison, jails, and reformatories accounted for a small number of
inmates across the United States. Early on, they were often held in
prisons alongside men and faced neglect, exploitation, and poor
living conditions. Various attempts to reform them, ranging from
moral instruction and education to domestic training, faced
opposition at times from state officials, prison employees, and
even male prison reformers. Due to the consistent small populations
and relative neglect the women often faced, their experiences in
prison have been understudied. This collection of essays seeks to
recapture the perspective on women's prison experience from a range
of viewpoints. This edited collection will explore the challenges
women faced as inmates, their efforts to exert agency or control
over their lives and bodies, how issues of race and social class
influenced experiences, and how their experiences differed from
that of male inmates. Contributions extend from the early
nineteenth century into the twenty-first century to provide an
opportunity to examine change over time with regards to female
imprisonment. Furthermore, the chapters examine numerous geographic
regions, allowing for readers to analyze how place and environment
shapes the inmate experience.
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