Women and the Penal Press

The examination of women's lived experiences within the context of incarceration constitutes a pivotal focus within the realm of penal discourse

The examination of women's lived experiences, in their own words, within the context of incarceration constitutes a necessary focus on a seldom examined topic. The Criminology Library's collection allows research into this perspective from two unique angles, those serving short provincial sentences and those sentenced to longer federal terms. 

Click the links on the right to explore the publications of the Vanier Centre for Women in Brampton, and the Prison for Women in Kingston. 

While the publications of Vanier Centre and the Prison for Women would begin in 1973 and 1975, respectively, the voices of women from a quarter of a century earlier can be found in the publication of the Kingston Penitentiary, Telescope. While the Criminology Library does not have the earliest issues of Telescope, a 16th Anniversary edition issue published in September 1966 re-printed some of their most popular articles, including “A Woman Prisoner Speaks” by Daisy Horgenshviegle from February 1950. By the 1960s, women from the Prison for Women often submitted articles, were feature writers and penned their own columns, such as "Vandal’s Scandals" by Kathy Vandal where she detailed the going-ons at the Penitentiary across the street.