Intersections of race and gender on prison punishment and adjustment

Mass incarceration has had several negative outcomes for poor communities of color. The past thirty years have resulted in disproportionate rates of African Americans being under correctional supervision. Feminist criminologists have discussed the negative impacts mass incarceration has had on women and have been advocating for research that examines the gender-specific dimensions of female incarceration. Intersectionality Theory (Crenshaw, 1989) was first introduced in legal studies to understand the double biases that women of color face by the justice system due to the simultaneous interaction effect of race and gender. Recent studies in feminist criminology also advocate for the focus of gender and its interaction with race in order to examine if women of color are punished more severely due to race and gender bias. The purpose of this study is to examine if categories of intersections based on race and gender result in disparate punishment outcomes in regards to official reactions to prison infractions. It is hypothesized that Black inmates are punished more severely for prison infractions than all other incarcerated groups. Data for this study come from the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities (SISFCF). Results show Black female and Black male inmates are more likely to be administered the punishment of solitary confinement than all other groups. The findings of this study support the arguments made by intersectionality theory, and emphasize the importance of addressing the educational need of correctional officials, and their system of sanctioning prison infractions.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Liza Chowdhur