LE3 .A278 1999

1999

Thomson, Tony

Acadia University

Master of Arts

Masters

Sociology

Sociology

Since the inception of the penitentiary in the 1800's issues concerning federally incarcerated women have tended to be ignored relative to the problems facing the larger population of male offenders. As a result, women have been generally dismissed as a major concern, resulting in the creation of correctional policies and practices that were designed for men and then applied to women. Creating Choices: The Report of the Task Force on Federally Sentenced Women (1990) marked the beginning of the implementation of a correctional system that is recognized as feminist and "women-centered." A main area of investigation for this thesis was to address the question of whether corrections for women are or can be carried out in a feminist manner while still employing the major elements of a system of incarceration designed primarily for men. The implementation of the new policy provided an ideal situation for investigating the possibility of leaving behind a legacy of patriarchy and embracing a future of freedom. Thisthesis reviews the history of Canadian female incarceration, the current philosophy of change, prison structures, the daily routines, the intent of corrections for women, the ideology behind the programming and the programming itself. Information was obtained through semi-structured interviews of eight correctional personnel at the Prison for Women in Kingston, Ontario and the Nova Institution for Women in Truro, Nova Scotia. While the intent of the "feminist women-centered" philosophy was to build a bridge to a future of freedom for female offenders and not a series of gentler fortresses in which to contain women, my research suggests that a legacy of patriarchy is evident in the equation of "women-centered" to mean fulfillment of traditional gender-roles as implied by the current programming and goals of the Regional Facilities.

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