Lucy Baldwin

Accounts of female offenders’ journeys into the criminal justice system are often silenced or marginalized. Featuring a Foreword from Pat Carlen and inspired by her seminal book ‘Criminal Women’, this collection uses participatory, inclusive and narrative methodologies to highlight the lived experiences of women involved with the criminal justice system. It presents studies focused on drug use and supply, sex work, sexual exploitation and experiences of imprisonment. Bringing together cutting-edge feminist research, this book exposes the intersecting oppressions and social control often central to women’s experiences of the justice system and offers invaluable insights for developing penal policies that account for the needs of women.

Accounts of female offenders’ journeys into the criminal justice system are often silenced or marginalized. Featuring a Foreword from Pat Carlen and inspired by her seminal book ‘Criminal Women’, this collection uses participatory, inclusive and narrative methodologies to highlight the lived experiences of women involved with the criminal justice system. It presents studies focused on drug use and supply, sex work, sexual exploitation and experiences of imprisonment. Bringing together cutting-edge feminist research, this book exposes the intersecting oppressions and social control often central to women’s experiences of the justice system and offers invaluable insights for developing penal policies that account for the needs of women.

Incorporating the authentic voices and real-life experiences of women, this ground-breaking book focuses on pregnancy and new motherhood in UK prisons. The book delves critically and poignantly into the criminal justice system's response to pregnant and new mothers, shedding light on the tragedies of stillborn babies and the deaths of traumatised mothers in prison. Based on lived realities, it passionately argues the case for enhancing the experiences of pregnant and new mothers involved with the criminal justice system. Aiming to catalyse policy and practice, the book is key reading for criminology and midwifery students and researchers as well as policy makers and practitioners.

Motherhood In and After Prison describes the devastating impact of sending mothers to prison, including on the women, their children, wider family and place in society. Using the same lens as for her acclaimed Mothering Justice (Waterside Press, 2015) and with special access to incarcerated mothers, Lucy Baldwin combines her vast experience of criminal and social justice with their own words to: Introduce readers to the lives of imprisoned women; Describe how before, during and after prison they were treated differently, their maternal identity and role was 'spoiled' and they needed to continually 'renegotiate motherhood'; Draw out key themes from her own findings and what was previously known about the imprisonment of women; Put forward recommendations for positive change. The book will be of interest to a national and international readership of policymakers, educators, practitioners, feminists, and women's groups. Extract: 'I don't have much contact with my daughter, my ex has her whilst I'm in here and he don't want me to have contact with her, it's just an excuse to punish me and control me like he always does. He don't care that it punishes her too. God knows what he's saying to her about me.' (Melanie)