For centuries, scholarship in the area of punishment, prisons and corrections has been generated by a number of different disciplines. It is difficult to argue the fact that there has been a bias in this literature toward discussions of the crimes and punishments of men. Given the historically disproportionate representation of men in criminal justice systems worldwide, the male ‘inmate’ has undoubtedly become the taken-for-granted norm in penality studies. However, works on ‘male imprisonment’ versus ‘female imprisonment’ (particularly feminist works) demonstrate a significant disparity in their approach. Despite the extensive nature of scholarship on penality, and the strong focus on gender by feminist scholars in the area, there has been a vast silence on the incarcerated male as a gendered subject, and the male prison as a gendered institution. Although this silence has been briefly noted by feminist scholars in their discussions of female imprisonment (e.g. Hannah-Moffat 2001; Howe 1994; Naffine 1996), few scholars to date have taken up a critical discussion of gender in the context of male incarceration. This oversight is especially characteristic of Canadian penal scholarship and Canadian penal histories in particular. It is the aim of this work to initiate the ‘catch-up,’ to engage in a historical examination of male penality in Canada that draws upon a number of the developments made in both the critical literature on punishment – predominantly focusing on the incarceration of men – and feminist scholarship’s gender approaches to women’s incarceration. Arguably, there is no better point to start this inquiry than with Kingston Penitentiary, Canada’s oldest and long-considered most ‘notorious’ prison for men. Using historical documents from the early history of Kingston Penitentiary (1833-1856), an analysis of discourse using a Foucauldian feminist theoretical approach is performed to uncover the gendered nature of the institution, and the policies and procedures developed for inmate men. Findings suggest that gendered power relations involving a number of different strategies (benevolence, control, pastoralism) and masculinities (aggressive, vulnerable, etc.) were at work. Implications of viewing prisons for men as gendered institutions are discussed. / Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2007-08-30 09:23:28.414

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of History, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 42-44).

This thesis examines the state penitentiaries of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas that became sources of wartime supplies during the Civil War. A shortage of industry in the southwest forced the Confederacy to use all manufactories efficiently. Penitentiary workshops and textile mills supplied a variety of cloth, wood, and iron products, but have received minimal attention in studies of logistics. Penitentiary textile mills became the largest domestic supplier of cloth to Confederate quartermasters, aid societies, citizens, slaves, and indigent families. This study examines how penitentiary workshops converted to wartime production and determines their contribution to the Confederate war effort. The identification of those who produced, purchased, distributed, and used penitentiary goods will enhance our knowledge of overall Confederate supply.

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This thesis examines the world of solitary confinement within the prison system. My research was inspired by Ashley Smith, a 19-year old segregated inmate who died in isolation while seven guards watched. This outrageous occurrence prompted me to question the practice of solitary confinement and a prison system in which such an event could occur. Studying the history of solitary confinement left me surprised to learn that it was originally intended as a therapeutic and merciful alternative to the punishments of the day. This revelation was one of a series of inversions that led me to conclude that solitary confinement is a world apart, not just physically, but also socially, temporally and legally. I have concluded that improving the lives of those segregated within our prisons requires the world of solitary confinement to become anchored within the broader legal and social context.

This thesis examines the world of solitary confinement within the prison system. My research was inspired by Ashley Smith, a 19-year old segregated inmate who died in isolation while seven guards watched. This outrageous occurrence prompted me to question the practice of solitary confinement and a prison system in which such an event could occur. Studying the history of solitary confinement left me surprised to learn that it was originally intended as a therapeutic and merciful alternative to the punishments of the day. This revelation was one of a series of inversions that led me to conclude that solitary confinement is a world apart, not just physically, but also socially, temporally and legally. I have concluded that improving the lives of those segregated within our prisons requires the world of solitary confinement to become anchored within the broader legal and social context.

La peine d’emprisonnement ne se limite pas aux seules personnes incarcérées ; au contraire, elle implique directement les proches de détenus qui expérimentent la prison hors de ses murs. En étudiant ce que nous proposons de nommer « l’expérience carcérale élargie » à partir d’une enquête par entretiens, il s’agira d’interroger successivement la prison comme institution et son effet sur les dynamiques relationnelles. La politique pénitentiaire peine à traiter les proches de détenus. En complétant l’analyse sociologique par un éclairage historique et juridique, nous montrerons que si les mesures favorisant le maintien des liens familiaux et l’accueil des visiteurs se sont développées ces dernières décennies, la politique pénitentiaire à l’égard des proches de détenus est profondément paradoxale et reste fortement limitée. Ensuite, nous interrogerons la multiplicité des échanges et la diversité des formes de soutien qui attestent de l’élasticité des liens et éclairent leurs logiques de régulation. Au-delà d’une vision altruiste qui renverrait la présence des proches à un engagement sacrificiel, nous analyserons la complexité des rapports de pouvoir et des formes de contrôle mutuel qui caractérisent les relations à l’épreuve de l’incarcération. Ainsi, il s’agira de penser non seulement ce que les proches font de la prison, mais également ce que la prison fait aux proches. / The prison sentence does not limit itself to imprisoned people alone; on the contrary the imprisonment directly involves the prisoners’ relatives who experience the prison from the outside. The “extended penitentiary experience”, as we propose to call it, will be studied by a qualitative research lead by interviews. The prison as an institution and its effects on human relations will be also questioned. Prison policies barely deal with prisoners’ relatives. From a sociological analysis completed with a historic and a legal perspective, we will show that even if the measures designed to maintain family links, and the reception of visitors, have evolved during this last decade, the prison’s policies toward the prisoners’ relatives is deeply paradoxical and very restricted. We will then analyse the multiplicity of exchanges and the diverse forms of support which prove the elasticity of the links and highlight their regulational logic. Beyond an altruist point of view that reflects the close relatives’ presence as a sacrifice, we will analyse the power struggles and the different forms of mutual control which characterise the relations of prisoners and their relatives. In this way not only will the relatives’ influences on the prison be considered, but also those of the prison on the relatives.

This thesis deals with the current legal regulation of post-penitentiary treatment. It is divided into six thematic areas. The opening chapter defines the concept of penitentiary and post-penitentiary treatment and the concept of resocialization. The second chapter contains an analysis of the legal arrangements for penitentiary treatment, including UN and Council of Europe activities in this area. Attention is also paid to a new way of differentiating sentenced prisoners. Description of the legislation of the treatment programs, including an enumeration of their standardized forms follows. The individual activities of the treatment programs are treated with an emphasis on work and educational activities. The last subchapter deals with the description of the release from imprisonment. The focus of the work lies in the third and fourth chapter dealing with post- penitentiary care and problems of released prisoners. The first sub-chapter focuses on the development of care for the released prisoners on the Czech territory from the collapse of Austro-Hungarian Empire to the present. The second subchapter analyzes the current form of providing post-penitentiary treatment in the form of social services and assistance in material need. The structure of providers, including a detailed analysis of the...

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