Women in prison: Deprivations of prison life

Abstract

The paper presents the results of an empirical study of prison deprivations suffered by women, conducted at the Female Department of Correctional Facility in Požarevac within the scope of a wider study of women's prison system. It was supposed that female prisoners in this penal institution face similar prison experience and suffer the same or similar deprivations as women in other penal institutions do. The research sample included female prisoners sentenced to more than one year, staying in prison for more than a year (54 female prisoners, i.e. more than 50% prisoners sentenced to long prison terms). Prisoners were interviewed employing a questionnaire measuring different types of deprivations using 26 indicators. Using the method of factor analysis - which was here used for the first time to study prison deprivations - six factors of women's prison deprivations were extracted: deprivation of maternity; deprivation of autonomy; deprivation of individuality; deprivation of human kindness and empathy; deprivation of a key role - a woman's role, and deprivation of friendship relations. The outcomes of this research, together with the findings of other researchers, affirm the assumption that these types of deprivations are realistic and dominant types of women's prison deprivations

Is food more than a means of survival? An overview of the Balkan prison systems

“…The authors conducted a comprehensive search of national and international online databases for published research on food in Balkan prisons using Croatian and English keywords such as "Prison food", "Food in prisons", "Balkan prisons". The initial search yielded two academic articles examining legal and human rights' aspects of prison conditions in Croatia, including issues around food (Babic et al, 2006;Vlahovic and Galovic, 2015); one academic article on deprivations of female prisoners in Serbia, which argued that working on prison farms enabled regainment of autonomy (Spadijer-Dzinic et al, 2009); one Master's thesis on the nutritional value of food in one Croatian prison (Soher, 2016); and a summary of one research poster on a similar topic presented at the 2nd Croatian Congress on Preventative Medicine and Health Promotion (Kendel Jovanovic et al, 2010).…”

“…For example, prisoners can express dissatisfaction with prison environment (e.g., living conditions, medical care, overcrowding) through food strikes that can bring unwanted publicity and initiate change (Maloca, 2017). Food can further be regarded as means to pass time, socialize, earn money and/or benefits while in prison, as well as to acquire skills for future employment (Maloca, 2017;Smoyer and Kjaer Minke, 2015;Spadijer-Dzinic et al, 2009;Zilic, 2017). For a scoping review of international prison food research, see Smoyer (2019), in this thematic issue.…”

“…One of the central aspects of this culture is power (see Clemmer, 1940;Crewe, 2009;McCleery, 1960;Tewksbury, 2006). Power can come from possessions, possessions bring status, and status ensures survival, or at least an improvement of the quality of life in such a deprived environment (Crewe, 2009;Spadijer-Dzinic et al, 2009). Prisoners in the Balkans use food, cigarettes, and coffee to (partly) re-gain their autonomy, reconstruct their identity, and secure their place in prison hierarchy through obtainable goods and services (Martinovic, 2012;Nesic, 2016;Spadijer-Dzinic et al, 2009).…”

“…They can also work towards a qualification in baking or simple meals' preparation (e.g., pizza or burek, baked filled pastry made of thin, flaky dough), potentially contributing to their post-release employment success (Zilic, 2017). Despite dated tools and machinery, in addition to the limited production capacity (Spasenic, 2016), many prisoners are willing to work, but the positions available are limited (Maloca, 2017;Spadijer-Dzinic et al, 2009;Spasenic, 2016).…”

"Serbian, first phase" of the supression of the epidemics in 1914 and 1915

“…Bivši načelnik saniteta dobio je 1929. godine odlikovanje najvišeg ranga, pri čemu su istoričari medicine ostali sami u svojim naporima da opravdaju svoje negativne ocene. Genčić, bez obzira što je bio usamljen u odnosu na njegovu opoziciju, primer je koji pokazuje da većina ne mora da bude u pravu: "(...) Nije retko da zajedničke interesi i krajnje vrednosti zajednice bolje zastupa nekonformistička manjina nego što to čini konformistička većina" 21 .…”