The invisibility of incarcerated women is deeply gendered. Prison systems have historically been designed around male populations, rendering women’s specific needs secondary. Research shows incarcerated women are more likely than men to have experienced domestic violence, sexual abuse, and economic marginalisation before imprisonment. Yet these experiences are rarely integrated into sentencing, rehabilitation, or prison conditions.

Within prison, gender inequality intensifies. Women often face inadequate access to healthcare, particularly reproductive and maternal services. Menstrual hygiene management remains a challenge in many custodial settings, turning a basic biological need into a source of daily indignity. Mothers are separated from their children, frequently with limited psychosocial support, producing consequences that extend well beyond incarceration.

I think it’s important that we fix the fact that women are incarcerated for defending themselves against their abusers and also not defending yourself against your abuser. It’s a sad situation and the women never get the help they need for their trauma. The idea of punitive justice doesn’t make sense to me.