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Prison conditions in Cameroon: the narratives of female inmates

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dc.contributor.advisor Rabe, Maria Elizabeth
dc.contributor.author Fontebo, Helen Namondo
dc.date.accessioned 2014-01-17T10:03:44Z
dc.date.available 2014-01-17T10:03:44Z
dc.date.issued 2013-06
dc.identifier.citation Fontebo, Helen Namondo (2014) Prison conditions in Cameroon: the narratives of female inmates, University of South Africa, Pretoria, <http://hdl.handle.net/10500/13069> en
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10500/13069
dc.description.abstract This study explores and critically analyses the lived experiences of female inmates in six selected prisons in Cameroon. The study contributes to the available knowledge regarding prison conditions from the perspectives of female inmates– a subject which has been under researched globally and has received little attention from researchers in Cameroon. The Cameroon Penitentiary Regulation (CPR) professes to be gender neutral and, therefore, it ignores the special needs of female inmates. The central research question is: How do the national policies and laws on prison conditions in Cameroon relate to the lived and narrated experiences of female inmates? The study is informed by two major frameworks, namely, Foucault’s analytical framework from his seminal work Discipline and Punish (1977) and a feminist analytical framework, standpoint feminism, which fills the gap in Foucault’s thesis that is largely devoid of gender analysis. The study is qualitative, using in-depth interviews and observations. It involved a sample of 38 research participants, comprising 18 female inmates, 18 prison staff members and two NGO representatives. The findings reveal that both international and national ratified policies are merely “paperwork”, lacking effective implementation in the prisons selected for this study. There is a general lack of infrastructural facilities in prisons and this prevents classification as suggested by the CPR 1992 and ratified international instruments. In general, there was a lack of educational and other training facilities in all the prisons visited. The few educational facilities available were those supported by NGOs and FBOs, suggesting that, without their presence in prisons, prison conditions would have been even more appalling than the findings revealed. Torture and corporal punishment were meted out to female inmates, regardless of the regular visits by human rights organisations to prisons. There are no provisions made for conjugal visits in the prisons. Same-sex relationships exist in Cameroonian prisons, either because of sexual preference or as a substitute for heterosexual relationships. The reform of the dated CPR 1992 and the Cameroon Penal Code 1967 is essential. Such reform should take into consideration both the specific needs of female inmates and current debates on the imprisonment of women. en
dc.format.extent 1 online resource (xvii, 330 leaves) en
dc.language.iso en en
dc.subject Prison conditions en
dc.subject Cameroon en
dc.subject Narratives en
dc.subject Female inmates en
dc.subject Feminist criminology en
dc.subject Discipline and punishment en
dc.subject Pregnancy en
dc.subject Breastfeeding and childbearing en
dc.subject Sexuality en
dc.subject NGOs and FBOs en
dc.subject.ddc 365.43096711
dc.subject.lcsh Reformatories for women -- Cameroon -- Sociological aspects en
dc.subject.lcsh Women prisoners -- Cameroon -- Social conditions en
dc.subject.lcsh Women prisoners -- Cameroon -- Personal narratives en
dc.subject.lcsh Women prisoners -- Sexual behavior -- Cameroon en
dc.subject.lcsh Women prisoners -- Family relationships -- Cameroon en
dc.subject.lcsh Prisons -- Cameroon en
dc.subject.lcsh Prison discipline -- Cameroon en
dc.subject.lcsh Children of women prisoners -- Cameroon en
dc.title Prison conditions in Cameroon: the narratives of female inmates en
dc.type Thesis en
dc.description.department Sociology en
dc.description.degree D. Litt. et Phil. (Sociology)


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