ABSTRACT

The international comparative research on women's prisons went on from 1993 until late 1997. Epistemologically, the team was inspired by Schutz's life-world theory and concept of subjective understanding and by Berger and Luckmann's social constructivism. Methodologically, the team relied mostly on qualitative techniques, nonparticipant observation, plus open and semi-structured interviews of the prison staff, local actors and national experts. The researchers also made use of secondary and tertiary sources of quantitative data such as national and international incarceration rates and statistics of the prisons' populations. The overall study highlight documented and contrasting evidence of different models, original formulas, experiences in decarceration and minimum imprisonment and progressive up-to-date work and training programmes geared to women's needs. However, 'intellectual' or scientific agenda required that detailed observations also be gathered on all major detention centre(s) for women, especially in Canada. On the issue of decarceration and minimum imprisonment, the team looked to the Scandinavian 'model' and these countries' low incarceration rates.