Soledad Women: Wives of Prisoners Speak Out

Author:   Lori B. Girshick
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
ISBN:  

9780275954093


Pages:   160
Publication Date:   21 June 1996
Recommended Age:   From 7 to 17 years
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
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Our Price $131.00 Quantity:  
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Soledad Women: Wives of Prisoners Speak Out


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Overview

Little attention has been paid to the lives led by families of prisoners. Using a feminist approach, the author explores how the lives of 25 wives of prisoners at Soledad prison are affected by the incarceration of their husbands. Relationships, stigma, coping, finances, children, the prison system, and rehabilitation are explored through in-depth interviews. This study describes the experiences of the wives and seeks to connect their experiences to a conceptual framework that explores the context of sex, race, and class inequalities. The author discusses prison policy recommendations to improve the lot of prisoners' families, emphasizing the ways in which life is organized in families where the husband/father is imprisoned. Several themes emerge in this work. The powerful role of the wife, women as caretakers, and the subordinate position these women hold in society due to their sex, class, and race, are some examples. Recommendations are made to ease the burden of visiting, and encourage maintenance of family roles.

Full Product Details

Author:   Lori B. Girshick
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Imprint:   Praeger Publishers Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 1.20cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.425kg
ISBN:  

9780275954093


ISBN 10:   0275954099
Pages:   160
Publication Date:   21 June 1996
Recommended Age:   From 7 to 17 years
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Prologue: I Leave in the Dark of Morning Introduction Why Study Wives of Prisoners? Families and Incarceration Data Living with Secrets Relationship Realities Family Finances Visiting at the Prison Dealing with the System The Role of the Family Conclusion Prison Policy and Recommendations Wives as Caretakers: There's More to It than That Appendix A: Questionnaire Appendix B: Follow-up Survey Summary Appendix C: The Author on Her Research Experience References

Reviews

Wives of prisoners are often an afterthought in terms of criminal justice policy and practice. They have been rarely studied, and most of the literature on this population has further pathologized and stigmatized prisoners' wives. Dr. Girshick's insightful study sheds new light on this phenomenon and gives the prisoner's wife a human face. This examination of the impact of incarceration on women who are married to prisoners is critical to effecting changes in correctional policies and practices which often punish the wives (and children) for crimes they did not commit. -Barbara E. Bloom Bloom & Associates


This is a valuable addition to the material available on families of prisoners. Lori Girshick has allowed the voices of these women to be clearly heard and has given us new insight into their lives. - Jim Mustin, Founder and President, Family and Corrections Network Wives of prisoners are often an afterthought in terms of criminal justice policy and practice. They have been rarely studied, and most of the literature on this population has further pathologized and stigmatized prisoners' wives. Dr. Girshick's insightful study sheds new light on this phenomenon and gives the prisoner's wife a human face. This examination of the impact of incarceration on women who are married to prisoners is critical to effecting changes in correctional policies and practices which often punish the wives (and children) for crimes they did not commit. -Barbara E. Bloom Bloom & Associates Dr. Girshick's work underscores the potential of prisoners' wives as stabilizing forces and necessary to any rehabilitation or anti-recidivism goals. This study...suggests that the justice system begin to view the wives/spouses/partners of offenders as valuable resources and allies in the fight against crime. - Ann Adalist-Estrin Child/Family Therapist Director, Parent Resource Association


Author Information

LORI B. GIRSHICK is on the faculty of Warren Wilson College, where she teaches sociology and women's studies courses. She has experience in the domestic violence field and has worked in an agency providing services to people with HIV. Dr. Girshick's work has appeared in The Prison Journal, Reproductive Health Resources, Violence Update, Policy Studies Journal, and Policy Issues for the Elderly Poor.

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