Criminal Women

"A fitting rejoinder to Carlen's 'Criminal Women', this engaging collection offers real insights into the lived experiences of women involved in our criminal justice system and the chasm that remains between the criminal and social justice responses." Jane Scoular, University of Strathclyde

“In this inspiring and topical collection, scholars from the Criminal Women Voice, Justice and Recognition Network imaginatively bring to the fore the important voices and experiences of women in conflict with the law.” Loraine Gelsthorpe, University of Cambridge

"These vivid accounts from women caught up in the criminal justice system, alongside academic analysis, provide compelling insights and emphasize the ongoing need for constructive change in this area of penal policy and practice." Jill Annison, University of Plymouth

Sharon Grace is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Social Policy and Social Work at the University of York.

Maggie O’Neill is Professor of Sociology and Criminology and Head of Department at the University College Cork.

Tammi Walker is Professor of Forensic Psychology and College Principal at Durham University.

Hannah King is Associate Professor of Sociology at Durham University.

Lucy Baldwin is Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Health and Life Sciences at De Montfort University.

Alison Jobe is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Durham University.

Orla Lynch is Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Director of Research for the Department of Sociology and Criminology at University College Cork.

Fiona Measham is Chair in Criminology at the University of Liverpool and Director of The Loop.

Kate O'Brien is Assistant Professor in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Durham University.

Vicky Seaman is a Support Worker with the Cork Alliance Centre and a PhD Criminology candidate at University College Cork.

Foreword – Pat Carlen

Introduction – Sharon Grace, Maggie O’Neill, Tammi Walker, Hannah King, Lucy Baldwin, Alison Jobe, Orla Lynch, Fiona Measham, Kate O’Brien and Vicky Seaman

1. Hearing the Voices of Women Involved in Drugs and Crime – Sharon Grace

2. Knifing Off? The Inadequacies of Desistance Frameworks for Women in the Criminal Justice System in Ireland – Vicky Seaman and Orla Lynch

3. Sex Work, Criminalisation and Stigma: Towards a Feminist Criminological Imagination – Maggie O’Neill and Alison Jobe

4. Criminal Women in Prison Who Self-harm: What Can We Learn from Their Experiences? – Tammi Walker

5. Criminal Mothers: The Persisting Pains of Maternal Imprisonment – Lucy Baldwin, with Mary Elwood and Cassie Brown

6. ‘The World Split Open’: Writing, Teaching and Learning with Women in Prison – Hannah King, Kate O’Brien and Fiona Measham, with Verity-Fee, Phoenix, Iris and Angel

7. Women’s Biographies through Prison – Verity-Fee, Phoenix, Iris and Angel, with Hannah King, Kate O’Brien and Fiona Measham

Afterword – Loraine Gelsthorpe