Reclaiming the Self: The Role of Incarceration in Disrupting Gendered Violence and Control
Female prisoners are often abandoned by their partners, with 56% of incarcerated women in France receiving no visits (El Hatifi & Le Mer, 2021). Moreover, a significant majority of these women have experienced intimate partner violence (Rostaing, 1998), with the most insidious forms of aggression being those within the couple (Bajos et al., 2008; Brown et al., 2020). Across the three countries studied, multiple women were found to be under the control of their partners—a control characterized by progressive domination and affective dependency, leading to a loss of autonomy (Jamoulle, 2021). Paradoxically, prison can provide a space for these women to break free from abusive relationships and oppressive gender norms. The confinement environment, though restrictive, offers a secure space far removed from violent partners, enabling women to reconstruct their identities (Comfort, 2007).
This presentation analyzes these phenomena through the lens of the sociology of bodies and emotions, offering a multidimensional perspective on gender-based violence. It reveals how incarceration disrupts cycles of abuse by imposing a new form of bodily discipline that mirrors, yet cannot coexist with, the control exerted in abusive relationships. As (quasi-)total institutions, prisons impose constant surveillance, precluding external partners from maintaining control over incarcerated women. Thus, while incarceration imposes prison confinement, it can simultaneously liberate women from domestic confinement. This analysis deepens our understanding of institutional violence and gendered power relations, shedding light on how incarcerated women navigate emotional and bodily experiences in response to both violence and liberation.