Table Of ContentPALGRAVE
STUDIES
IN PRISONS
AND PENOLOGY
Female
Imprisonment
An Ethnography of Everyday
Life in Confi nement
C F
ATARINA ROIS
Palgrave Studies in Prisons and Penology
Series editors
Ben Crewe
Institute of Criminology
University of Cambridge
Cambridge, UK
Yvonne Jewkes
School of Applied Social Science
University of Brighton
Brighton, UK
Thomas Ugelvik
Criminology and Sociology of Law
University of Oslo, Faculty of Law
Oslo, Norway
This is a unique and innovative series, the first of its kind dedicated
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tant forum for burgeoning prison research across the world. Series
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M. Jefferson (DIGNITY - Danish Institute Against Torture), Shadd
Maruna (Rutgers University), Jonathon Simon (Berkeley Law, University
of California) and Michael Welch (Rutgers University).
More information about this series at
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Catarina Frois
Female
Imprisonment
An Ethnography of Everyday Life in
Confinement
Catarina Frois
Centre for Research in Anthropology
ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa
Lisbon, Portugal
Palgrave Studies in Prisons and Penology
ISBN 978-3-319-63684-9 ISBN 978-3-319-63685-6 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-63685-6
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017952079
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
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This book is dedicated to João Pina Cabral
Image 1 Odemira Prison Facility Façade
Acknowledgements
This work was made possible with the generous support from Foundation
for Science and Technology Starting Grant Investigator FCT (IF/00699/
2012), and Gerda Henkel Foundation (AZ 07/KF/15) within the Program
Security, Society and the State.
I wish to acknowledge the Portuguese Directorate-General for Prison
Services for having granted authorization for this study, namely Semedo
Moreira, and Odemira Prison Warden, Paula Martins, as well as prison
officers and staff who kindly received me at the institution. A particular
thank you is due to the inmates and the guards that more than accepted
my presence, and shared their days and experiences with me.
Throughout the years, several friends and colleagues—sometimes even
without being conscious of it—made a difference in my life and the way
I pursue works like the one this book brings to light: Carmen Osuna,
Mark Maguire, Gregory Feldman, Daniel Goldstein, Susana Viegas,
Helena Machado, Susana Narotzky, and Miguel Vale de Almeida.
As always, Antónia Lima was one of the greatest supporters during the
weeks and months of my comings and goings from Odemira; I hope
somehow she recognizes her continuous presence in the pages that follow,
and the same applies to João Pina Cabral, to whom this book is dedi-
cated, with friendship and care.
vii
viii Acknowledgements
My parents were invaluable in their efforts in keeping me focused on
what was important besides work: spending time with my family, by the
pool, or by the fireplace. Even though after all these years my daughters
Francisca and Marta are already accustomed with endeavors like the one
this book materializes, the encouragement they give me is the best reward
I could ever hope to achieve.
Finally, a few words to my husband, Diogo: life is complete only with
your love, generosity and companionship.
Contents
1 Introduction—“A Doll’s House” 1
2 P ortugal, a “Mild-Mannered” Country:
Penal and Penitentiary Overview 27
3 E ntering Odemira Prison Facility 51
4 “ Will You Be Back Again Tomorrow?”
Everyday Rhythms of Imprisonment 73
5 The Effects of Imprisonment 99
6 T ension, Authority, Rights 123
7 The Rule, the Letter, the Spirit of the Law 145
8 Institutionalizing Exclusion 167
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