to ask if you think women should be imprisoned

[manicinsomniac]

NB - I'm not talking about murderers and child abusers etc, obviously those women pose a risk to society and need to be away from it.

But the majority?

I've started to get quite involved with prison volunteering, campaigning etc and have just read this on the women in prison website:

*Prison causes damage and disruption to the lives of vulnerable women, most of whom pose no risk to the public. Women have been and are marginalised within a criminal justice system designed by men for men.

Prison is often a very expensive way of making vulnerable women?s life situations much worse. Women are often incarcerated miles from their homes and families ? they lose their homes, their relationships with their children and their mental health in the process.

Better outcomes for women mean a reduced use of prison and an increased use of community alternatives. Prison does not work. The best way to cut women?s offending is to deal with its root causes. *

What do you think? Instinctively I agree with it but I don't know if I'm just being too idealistic and/or have just watched too many episodes of Bad Girls!

So WIBU to want to campaign against the imprisoning of vulnerable women? Or is it no different to imprisoning men?
Should I be equally bleeding heart about men?
Or do all these prisoners just deserve what's coming to them?!

They should be treated same as men...

If a crimes commited then the person.should do the prison time no matter the sex

What is a 'vulnerable' woman? And what's the difference between vulnerable women and vulnerable men?

Do the crime, do the time.

It doesn't matter if you are male, female, both or neither. The law still applies.

You could say all of the same about non-violent, vulnerable men.

just what lilac said whats the difference yes women offenders can do daft things but why shouldnt they do the time ?

My sister was beaten up while waiting for a bus. The two girls who attacked her were both noticeably pregnant. These thugs avoided prison as my sister was able to haul her own arse to hospital and the fact that they were with child and one had a 11 month old at home. I won't say anymore as its not fair on my sister but she didn't get justice.

I agree with the other posters, you could apply all of what you've said to both men and women.

Why didn't you include men?

Or don't you feel vulnerable men are worthy of support?

Gender equality cuts both ways

What sort of men do you think go to prison? Vulnerable men go to prison too. They lose their families too. Their mental health suffers too.

But women tend to commit a different type of crime which poses a lower risk to society's safety.

Women are more likely to have sole care of children and more likely to lose their homes/families as a result of being in prison for just a short time.

There aren't very many women's prisons so they get sent much further from their homes than men do.

Women offenders are more likely to have suffered abuse and mental health problems and more likely to suffer from them while in prison.

The rate of self harm in women's prisons is very high.

But yeah, I don't know, maybe I'm being a reverse sexist on this one.

I would say a mans relationship with his children is eroded more than a woman's through inprisonment

Women are just as capable of theft and violent crimes as men are.

In fact isn't violent crime on the rise in female attackers?

Dear God of course a guilty woman should be treated the same as a guilty man.

'Designed by men for men' is a load of old shit in 2012 and anyone trying to make it a feminist issue needs to ask themselves this....if you were mugged and had the shit kicked out of you by a gang of women, would you still feel they shouldn't go to prison because they have a vagina???

Unfortunately, it would be used as an excuse to avoid jail continuously., Wait until you've volunteered for a while, it may open your eyes. And, as already said, why treat women and men differently?

Is that a bit of generalisation there op?

All the points you make are also true of male prisoners. Vulnerable people should be treated as individuals and given appropriate placements, of which there are not enough facilities.
Campaign against imprisonment of vulnerable women if you choose to, it is obviously something you are passionate about and actively involved in.
I feel the same way about the reaction of most law enforcement to and sentencing of children and adults on the spectrum.

Designed 'by men, for men'

Mother and baby units? Really?

But yeah, I don't know, maybe I'm being a reverse sexist on this one

There's no such thing as 'a reverse sexist'

You're either being sexist or you aren't....and believe me you certainly are.

And just seen your 'reverse sexist' comment. It's just sexist. Full stop.

I dont think its reverse sexism manic i think sometimes we are shocked that women comit crime (maybe thats reverse sexism) but i Think women can commit the same sorts of crime as men, i work with women and their children and I have come across some violent and aggresive women it makes me that women can be so aggresive and sometime sneaky iyswim who is often seen as caring and maternal can be like this ,

Is that a bit of generalisation there op?

I really don't know yet Lilac. I had never considered the issue until a couple of weeks ago and am getting most of my information from either the website I quoted in the OP or from passionate activists!

Women are more likely to have sole care of children and more likely to lose their homes/families as a result of being in prison for just a short time.

All the more reason to think twice before doing the crime then.

If you are feeling unsupported OP, there are other places you could post on the site and get a much more favourable response to your dilemma.

I don't know the details offhand, but I think mens prison populations also suffer from high levels of backgrounds of abuse, mental health problems, self harm and suicide, than a 'normal' population.

I see what you're saying and I'm glad there are people like you who zone in on womens prisons exclusively, just as there are groups who focus on mens prisons with support and compassion

Any body who commits a crime should be punished accordingly for it. Either male or female. Is this positive discrimination?