Global Lockdown

The recent explosion in women’s imprisonment in the US- 2,800 percent increase from 1970 to 2001- and around the world has received little critical analysis. Women of colour, immigrants, and indigenous women, in particular, have been targeted by ’tough on crime’ policies and the global war on drugs, making them the majority inside prison walls while still the minority outside of them. The symbiotic relationship between private prison corporations and the state criminal justice system has also led to harsher sentencing and enforcement, causing prison overcrowding and creating a demand for more prison construction. This collection of essays provides a new analysis of women in prison, shifting the focus from the reasons behind women’s criminal behavior to the role of the state, corporations, and the media in their imprisonment. While much analysis has focused on the rise of imprisoned men of color, scholars have neglected to look at the way race, gender, and class affect the criminalization of women. The essays engage in such controversial topics as the war on drugs, immigrant trafficking, and prisoner rights.