ABSTRACT
Of vital importance to any vision of criminological theory is a consideration of the way human agents are perceived and the nature of the social structure in which they are seen as acting ... We view humans as active agents producing their social world. This production is both continuous and continual, although not necessarily self-reflective. (Henry and Milovanovic 1994: 111)
Actions to bring about change ... empower ... Because our actions change the world from one in which we merely exist to one over which we have some control, they enable us to see everyday life as being in process and therefore amenable to change. (Collins 1991: 113)
I mean you know what girls in prison are like - they will go and have their say. Sometimes it gets them somewhere, and sometimes it don't. (Sylvia: HMP Winchester, February 1996)
This final chapter builds on the discussion of identity politics outlined above. Specifically, it explores how identity becomes a means of resistance. It does so by illustrating the ways in which women assert their agency in prison through identifying with, and transforming, aspects of that idealized femininity which is encouraged at the institution. This chapter argues that many of the women's practices which were identified in the previous chapter as assisting in identity formation - wearing a mask, discussing their roles and responsibilities on the outside, and noting the personal changes which they were undergoing as a result of their incarceration - are also the means by which the prisoners affirm their agency and autonomy.
