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A qualitative analysis of womens' experiences before, during and after imprisonment in South Africa

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dc.contributor.advisor Rabe, Maria Elizabeth
dc.contributor.author Agboola, Caroline Aderonke
dc.date.accessioned 2015-03-05T07:15:02Z
dc.date.available 2015-03-05T07:15:02Z
dc.date.issued 2014-11
dc.identifier.citation Agboola, Caroline Aderonke (2014) A qualitative analysis of womens' experiences before, during and after imprisonment in South Africa, University of South Africa, Pretoria, <http://hdl.handle.net/10500/18327> en
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10500/18327
dc.description.abstract The purpose of this thesis is to examine the experiences of South African women prior to, during and after incarceration. The theoretical bases for this study include the general strain theory (GST), feminist pathways approach and Goffman’s “total institutions”. The study made use of a qualitative research design. In-depth interviews were conducted with a total of twenty female ex-prisoners, who were selected using snowball sampling, to obtain information about their experiences during the periods indicated. The findings of the study indicated that, in respect of the three periods mentioned, the participants cited their experiences during incarceration as the most prominent as they tended to dwell more on this phase of their lives than any other phase. This is, in fact, not surprising as their narratives portrayed their lives behind bars as having been traumatic with far-reaching consequences for their lives after their incarceration. The study found that some of the participants had histories of emotional and physical abuse before their offending behaviours. It emerged that consensual same-sex sexual relationships between females in South African prisons exist and that these relationships are, sometimes, accepted by the family members of the female inmates. The participants reported that coercive sexual relationships also take place in female prisons in South Africa. It was also reported that the conditions under which females are incarcerated are, for the most part, deplorable. It emerged that the female prisoners use a unique monetary system which is based mainly on the trade by barter system. In addition, the findings revealed that female inmates often experience daunting challenges upon their release from prison, including high rates of unemployment, stigma and discrimination, family breakdown and the psychological effects of imprisonment, all of which often compound the resolve of some of the participants to live crime-free lives. en
dc.format.extent 1 online resource (xii, 226 leaves)
dc.language.iso en en
dc.subject Female criminality en
dc.subject Female ex-prisoners en
dc.subject Feminist pathways approach en
dc.subject General strain theory en
dc.subject Goffman’s “total institutions” en
dc.subject Incarceration en
dc.subject Prison conditions en
dc.subject Sexual relationships en
dc.subject South Africa en
dc.subject Women in prison en
dc.subject.ddc 363.3740968
dc.subject.lcsh Female offenders -- South Africa en
dc.subject.lcsh Female offenders -- Rehabilitation -- South Africa en
dc.subject.lcsh Women prisoners -- Abuse of -- South Africa en
dc.subject.lcsh Women prisoners -- Services for -- South Africa en
dc.subject.lcsh Women prisoners -- Sexual behavior -- South Africa en
dc.subject.lcsh Criminal behavior -- Social aspects -- South Africa en
dc.subject.lcsh Recidivism -- South Africa -- Prevention en
dc.subject.lcsh Stress (Psychology) -- South Africa en
dc.subject.lcsh Social institutions -- South Africa en
dc.title A qualitative analysis of womens' experiences before, during and after imprisonment in South Africa en
dc.type Thesis en
dc.description.department Sociology
dc.description.degree D. Litt. et Phil. (Sociology)


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