Broken Lives, Broken Relationships: The Experiences of Women in a Ghanaian Prison.

Abstract

The prison has emerged as an object of attention and criticism in the works of sociologists and criminologists. However, among this diverse body of works, little research has been undertaken which interrogates the very different experience of men and women prisoners. In particular, there is a paucity of research that adequately explores how women experience their family relationships while in prison. Considering the fact that a significant number of female prisoners in Ghana come from impecunious family backgrounds the need to understand female criminality and its gendered effects on prison experiences become paramount. This study examines how imprisonment affects the way female inmates experience family relationships as a consequence of deprivation of liberty and the coping mechanisms adopted to deal with this phenomenon. It therefore deploys a qualitative phenomenological approach to collect data using in-depth interview from thirty female inmates and five prison officers at Nsawam Female Medium Security Prison. Over the course of the interviews participants gave full and rich accounts of their families and relationships which were most often unstable and broken, but some are at times maintained and strengthened in spite of their imprisonment. However, for many others, this topic was difficult and sensitive to discuss as the feelings of separation, stigmatization, sadness and regret were expressed during the interviews. The findings suggest that incarcerated mothers sometimes lose their children and the mother identity. The study also revealed that the incarceration of women has a repercussion on family relationship, which includes rolevacuum, financial strain and stigma. It further observed that essential to coping with this phenomenon was religion and appropriate support from officers and inmates who help to limit the deleterious effects of imprisonment. Regarding originality and value, the study develops new understandings in the Ghanaian context about the ways in which female inmates construct and maintain family relationships both within and outside the prison and how gender impacts on the prison experience. The study therefore concludes that for most female prisoners in Ghana familial relationships is greatly altered as a result of incarceration. It is recommended that the Ghana Prison Service and its stakeholders revise their Ten-Year Strategic plan and to address some of the issues concerning incarcerated women