The research examines the revised Offender Learning and Skills Service in women's prisons in England; this may appear an ambitious study, but of the total 139 jails only 13 are female establishments. I wanted to hear from staff their perceptions of what constituted a successful service, and how this compared across establishments. I wanted to know what the women themselves thought, and whether the service now met their needs not just as learners, but as female offender learners. A survey of practitioners experienced in setting up and working within the OLASS context formed the basis of the study, and responded to a questionnaire, or met with me to consider the same questions. I also facilitated two focus groups in prisons, of six women who regularly attended 'education' and six who didn't. The baseline for the sample size was therefore decided by being able to engage the right people; and the research questions, although the number of respondents (13 staff and 12 prisoners) is typical for similar studies. Chapter 1 provides the background to the project and the research questions. Chapter 2 reviews and discusses the relevant literature and papers, and the methodology and design of the research framework. Chapter 3 presents the arguments for the methodology selected, and outlines ethical considerations. Chapter 4 describes the data produced from the questionnaires, meetings, and focus groups, and draws together my interpretations of the themes that emerged. Chapter 5 draws conclusions from the study, and makes recommendations in the light of the analysis of the data. I

Cette thèse propose d’étudier la trajectoire des femmes incarcérées dans la prison péruvienne Chorrillos I à Lima et d’analyser l’influence des inégalités sociales et du parcours de vie des détenues sur les dynamiques carcérales de cet établissement. Les entretiens menés avec les détenues révèlent un ensemble de similitudes dans leur parcours avant l’incarcération, parmi lesquelles ressortent des schémas de domination genrée, des situations de précarité socioéconomique, des expériences de mères célibataires, ainsi que la recherche de stratégies de survie. Le croisement de l’étude de leur trajectoire et de l’analyse des rapports sociaux, ethniques et genrés permet de comprendre leurs formes d’adaptation au milieu carcéral ainsi que les relations qui lient l’ensemble des acteurs en présence, pour dévoiler les ressorts d’un univers carcéral particulier. / This thesis studies the trajectory of incarcerated women in the Peruvian prison Chorrillos I in Lima and analyzes the influence of social inequalities and detainees’ life-paths on the dynamics of this prison. Interviews with the inmates reveal a range of similarities in their trajectories before incarceration, from gendered domination schemes, socio-economic insecurity and life as single-mothers, to the search for survival strategies. Cross-examining the study of their trajectories with analyses of social, ethnic and gender relations provides an understanding of strategies used by these women to adapt to the prison environment, as well as the relationships between all the actors, and reveals the specific characteristics of a particular prison universe. / Esta tesis propone estudiar la trayectoria de las mujeres encarceladas en el establecimiento penitenciario peruano Chorrillos I en Lima, y analizar la influencia de las desigualdades sociales y del recorrido de vida de las internas sobre las dinámicas carcelarias de este penal. Las entrevistas realizadas con las internas revela un conjunto de similitudes en su trayectoria antes del encarcelamiento, dentro de las cuales sobresalen esquemas de dominación de género, situaciones de precariedad socioeconómica, experiencias de madres solteras, así como la búsqueda de estrategias de supervivencia. El cruce del estudio de su trayectoria con el análisis de las relaciones sociales, étnicas y de género permite comprender sus formas de adaptación al ámbito carcelario y las relaciones que vinculan al conjunto de los actores, para develar los mecanismos de un universo carcelario particular.