Women Prisoners in Odisha: A Socio-cultural Study

Abstract

The study was designed to understand the reasons behind the rising criminal behaviour among women and also to learn about their life during imprisonment. Female crime is a crucial factor that disrupts family life and stability of the society. The nature of crime committed by them has changed from softer crime to heinous crime. The socio-economic factors behind committing their crime, their perception towards society and jail administration are analyzed by using primary data which are collected by interviewing 35 women prisoners of three jails of Odisha. The data were collected by using structured interview. The findings showed that lower socio- economic condition of the prisoners have compelled them to commit crime. Lack of health care, infrastructure and employment opportunities are the major problems faced by the prisoners in jails. Their perception towards the society and jail administration has significantly deteriorated. Results are interpreted in terms of current theories and implications for future are pointed out.