UB Criminology: Article Review on Gendered Pains of Life Imprisonment

This assignment is an article review of "The Gendered Pains of Life Imprisonment" by Crewe, Hulley, and Wright (2017), published in the British Journal of Criminology. The article investigates the differing experiences of male and female prisoners, focusing on the unique challenges women face during long-term incarceration. The review analyzes the article's methodology, which included interviews with female prisoners to understand their experiences with loss of family contact, trust, intimacy, and psychological well-being. The findings highlight that women experience a greater degree of pain and emotional burden compared to men, which can negatively impact their mental health and potentially lead to further criminal behavior. The review also provides a critical analysis of the article, referencing supporting literature and highlighting the importance of focusing on women's experiences within the penal system. The conclusion emphasizes the significance of the research in shedding light on a previously under-explored area and its implications for understanding the impact of imprisonment on women.

Running head: ARTICLE REVIEW
Article Review
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1ARTICLE REVIEW
Article Name: THE GENDERED PAINS OF LIFE IMPRISONMENT
Crewe, B., Hulley, S. and Wright, S., 2017. The gendered pains of life imprisonment.
British Journal of Criminology, 57(6), pp.1359-1378.
Introduction
The article throws light on the different kinds of gendered pains of the life
imprisonment in most of the practices and effects of confinement. The entire article aims to
redress the different types of patterns by analyzing the long-term imprisonment which has
been experienced by both men and women. The key terms which have been used in the
article are pre-incarnation trauma along with different kinds of emotional commitments and
biographies of the male and female prisoners.There are different findings from which this has
been concluded that women prisoners suffermore in comparison to men which will be
discussed with more data in the next sections.
Discussion
The given article presents a focus on the manner in which the different prisoners as
present tend to survive their duration in prison and the various difficulties which are generally
faced by them. In addition to this, the study also aims to underline that as compared to the
multiple men and women, the latter tends to have a more painful stay and experience a large
number of difficulties as well.
The article has not focused on the state punishment provided to the different prisoners
per se but instead aims to focus on the problems of the imprisonment which exist and focuses
on the dynamics of penal power along with authority. The article centers as well as de-centers
the gender and aims to target the particular study on the life of the women behind the bars

2ARTICLE REVIEW
instead of the men because very less is known about the former. The women prisoners face a
large number of issues as compared to the men, and concerning this, these issues range from
issues like lack of privacy and intimacy, violence, wellbeing and mental health, autonomy
and control along with a loss of family members.
Research Methodology
From the research methodology section, this can be analyzed that various reports have
been considered which helped in analysing that the women prisoners suffer more and their
experience is acutely more painful than the male counterparts. The article has been compared
with proper analysis by presenting a corresponding type of data on the problems which have
been experienced by the male and female participants.
Furthermore, the other details have been provided, and a major focus has been given
on to the circumstances which were faced by the women and men. From the data collection
analysis, this has been seen that the issues are broadly related to loss of contact with the
family members, matters of trust, intimacy and psychological well-being of the members who
are in jail. There was 23 female who participated in the study by engaging themselves in-
depth interviews which helped in completing the survey and analysing the pain caused to
women and men.
Findings
The findings from the survey data provided a comparative overview of the differences
which tend to exist amongst the problems which are experienced by the male and female
prisoners. The findings are presented both in the relative and in absolute terms. The results
have been presented with the help of the interview with various women who have

3ARTICLE REVIEW
experienced the prison. The finding reflected that the women tend to face a larger share of
painful experiences as compared to the men, and in lieu of this they are required to carry an
additional emotional burden and the limitations of the different opportunities which tends to
form their opinion in this manner and has a lifelong impact on their overall psychological
health. Moreover, the women even faced various biological problems which then affected
them and hence; as a result, it can be stated that these women instead of improving their ways
tend to become negatively influenced and often engage in crimes in the latter stage of life as
well.
Critical Analysis
According to Dye and Aday (2013), various authors often focus on the life of
men behind bars and often tend , and this is the reason, the topic, and the discussion seems to
be crucial. In addition to this, the article begins with the explanation of why women
imprisonment has a more profound impact.
From the above data analysis and the findings which have been addressed from the
article have assisted in analyzing the different sufferings which have been faced by both men
and women in the long-term imprisonment. Crewe, Hulleyand Wright(2017), have
commented that women remain peripheral regarding the practices of confinement. The author
has mentioned that there are different issues which are particular salience to women which is
inclusive of loss of contact from the family members, matters related to trust and intimacy
which have affected their mental health negatively. Moreover, as opined by Aday,Krabill and
Deaton-Owens (2014), this has been noticed that women prisoners have experienced the
multiplicity of abuse in the community in comparison to men.

4ARTICLE REVIEW
On the other hand, Genders and Player (1990), have opined that women serving life
imprisonment sentences are an invisible entity, and author opined that women serving life
sentences suffer particularly from pains of indeterminacy which is inclusive of loss of control
over their fertility and loss of touch with their children in prison. Gartner and Kruttschnitt
(2004), have opined and highlighted the fact that soul-crushing impact of life imprisonment
on women in the United States Prison. From the survey, this can be identified that women
feel they have lost privacy and the feeling that a part of life has been wasted and the sentence
is unfair in comparison to the men.
Table 1: Severity Scores of Women
(Source: Finkelhor, Ormrod and Turner 2007)
Conclusion
Therefore, from the given analysis, it can be mentioned that this article aimed to
throw light on a topic which was previously not discussed and in the same manner, designed
to focus on the women life or long-term imprisonment which was not focused upon in any
early studies as conducted. The paper has presented a critical analysis of the article and laid

5ARTICLE REVIEW
down the necessary discussions and arguments of the same. Moreover, the findings of the
paper have been given as well which state that instead of improving the behaviour of the
women and influencing them not to commit the crimes, the women are instead negatively
impacted.

6ARTICLE REVIEW
References and Bibliography
Aday, R., Krabill, J. and Deaton-Owens, D. (2014), ‘Religion in the Lives of Older Women
Serving Life in Prison’, Journal of Women & Aging, 26: 238–56.
Cohen, S. and Taylor, L. (1972), Psychological Survival: The Experience of Long-Term
Imprisonment. Penguin Books Ltd.
Crewe, B., Hulley, S. and Wright, S., 2017. The gendered pains of life
imprisonment. British Journal of Criminology, 57(6), pp.1359-1378.
Dye, M. and Aday, R. H. (2013), ‘“I Just Wanted to Die”. Pre-prison and Current Suicide
Ideation Among Women Serving Life Sentences’, Criminal Justice Behavior, 40: 832–49.
Fallot, R. D. and Harris, M. (2002), ‘The Trauma Recovery and Empowerment Model
(TREM): Conceptual and Practical Issues in a Group Intervention for Women’, Community
Mental Health Journal, 38: 475–85.
Finkelhor, D., Ormrod, R. K. and Turner, H. A. (2007), ‘Poly-victimization: A Neglected
Component in Child Victimization Trauma’, Child Abuse and Neglect, 31: 7–26.
Gartner, R. and Kruttschnitt, C. (2004), ‘A Brief History of Doing Time: The California
Institution for Women in the 1960s and the 1990s’, Law & Society Review, 38: 267–304.
Genders, E. and Player, E. (1990), ‘Women Lifers: Assessing the Experience’, The Prison
Journal, 70: 46–57.