SOC219H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Mary Magdalene, Elizabeth Fry, Solitary Confinement
SOC219; Lecture 7 - Gendered Rehab and the Prison System
Historical look at women in prison;
● Pre-industrial (1750-1850)
○ Men, women treated similarly → both given corporal punishment (physical
punishment on the body) for breaking criminal law
○ A lot more gender specific laws → more laws which pertain to men and some
which pertain specifically to women (they were treated more severely for crimes
that were gender specific).
○ For example, adultery incurred women with greater punishment than for men;
having children out of wedlock greater punishment for women.
● Late 19th Century
○ Magdalene Houses – named after Saint Mary Magdalene (believed to be
reformed prostitute). For the purposes of reforming fallen women (prostitutes,
pregnant without marriage, or lewd). These houses were quite punitive (working
hard, punished for small diversions, may stay forever).
○ Prisons becoming more popular tool for punishment. Until 1913 men and women
were housed together in prisons, and women seen as an afterthought, under the
control of male guards and blamed for their sexual assault and victimization.
○ Idleness caused criminality (belief held). Men had to do hard labour, whilst
women were given more domestic chores (washing clothes, cleaning).
● Early reform efforts
○ Women not criminal/dangerous but victims that needed to become pure - so early
efforts focused on making women proper ladies
○ Elizabeth Fry; women had unique responsibilities beyond male offenders (→
women to be guarded by female only staff; conventional prisons designed for
men were inappropriate for women which required a “gentler environment”). Led
to:
■ 1. Prison segregated by sex – men and women housed separate facilities
or units.
■ 2. Female guards hired for women offenders.
■ 3. Hard labour not for women → minimizing that burden.
○Andrew Mercer Reformatory (1874) → separate prison for women and based
on maternal discipline (i.e. women are girls are deviant because they lacked
strong maternal force, and they just needed a womanly figure to show them
motherly love). Control and punishment for women who deviated the reforms for
the institution. Women trained largely in domestic roles (taught how to sow,
clean, be good mothers) and religious and morality training (taught obedience,
servitude, and their place in society). The institution was cottage-like in design –
ONLY women seen has having the greatest reform potential were allowed to stay
in such cottages. Women were supposed to be like good daughters to the
trainers (daughterly subjects). Women who didn’t fit the description of a “Mercer
Women” were sent to do their time in prisons designed for men. These
Document Summary
Soc219; lecture 7 - gendered rehab and the prison system. Men, women treated similarly both given corporal punishment (physical punishment on the body) for breaking criminal law. A lot more gender specific laws more laws which pertain to men and some which pertain specifically to women (they were treated more severely for crimes that were gender specific). For example, adultery incurred women with greater punishment than for men; having children out of wedlock greater punishment for women. Magdalene houses named after saint mary magdalene (believed to be reformed prostitute). For the purposes of reforming fallen women (prostitutes, pregnant without marriage, or lewd). These houses were quite punitive (working hard, punished for small diversions, may stay forever). Prisons becoming more popular tool for punishment. Until 1913 men and women were housed together in prisons, and women seen as an afterthought, under the control of male guards and blamed for their sexual assault and victimization.
