Women and children’s experiences in Indian prisons have long been eclipsed by the male-centric sociolegal discourse on India’s criminal legal system. Departing from such an essentialised analysis, this article discusses prisons as a site and cause of trauma for women prisoners. By exploring the intersectional dimensions of gender, children’s rights, criminal justice, disability, and drawing upon the social model of disability, it advances a more humane, radical, and effective manner of addressing issues of crime and punishment for women.

The author acknowledges the first referee’s insights and contributions.

What would justice look like if it were trauma-informed at its core? At the very least, it would depart from the ideology and architecture of prisons, with their metallic cages and panopticon (Foucault 1995), full of squalor and degradation, where people are condemned to spend lengthy periods of time, bereft of familial companionship and societal support, to reform and reckon with the harm they have caused.

Earlier, last year, the chairperson of the National Commission for Women put forth several recommendations aimed at improving the welfare of female inmates in prisons at a seminar on Police Administration in Light of the Rights of Women Prisoners (Gautam 2023). Key recommendations highlighted the imperative of enhancing sanitation and hygiene provisions tailored for female inmates within correctional facilities. Additionally, there was an emphasis on investigating the viability of establishing specialised open prisons and halfway homes catered explicitly to the needs of women in the penal system.

Dear Reader,

To continue reading, become a subscriber.

Explore our attractive subscription offers.

Click here

Or

To gain instant access to this article (download).

(Readers in India)

(Readers outside India)

QOSHE - Incarcerated Women and Their Children in Indian Prisons - Stuti Shah
menu_open
Columnists Actual . Favourites . Archive
We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close
Aa Aa Aa
- A +

Incarcerated Women and Their Children in Indian Prisons

6 0
20.03.2024

Women and children’s experiences in Indian prisons have long been eclipsed by the male-centric sociolegal discourse on India’s criminal legal system. Departing from such an essentialised analysis, this article discusses prisons as a site and cause of trauma for women prisoners. By exploring the intersectional dimensions of gender, children’s rights, criminal justice, disability, and drawing upon the social model of disability, it advances a more humane, radical, and........

© EPW


Get it on Google Play