The United States has seen an influx of incarcerated women since the 1980s with a 750% increase between 1980 and 2017. There is a substantial amount of literature about how women experience prison and the unique challenges they face as they reenter society such as motherhood, previous abuse, mental health, and housing. Conclusions drawn suggest that the current structure fails to prepare women for a society that denounces women who have been incarcerated. What is less known is how this research translates to the jail environment. For reasons to be discussed, it is likely that local jails are even less equipped to address women’s needs. We used data from in-depth semi-structured interviews with 14 women housed in a local urban jail to explore perceptions of jail and reentry prospects. The overriding feeling was that the jail was indifferent toward women and failed to prepare them for successful integration into society. Recommendations for improved jail conditions and reentry programming for women housed in jail are discussed.
","abstract_html":"<p>The United States has seen an influx of incarcerated women since the 1980s with a 750% increase between 1980 and 2017. There is a substantial amount of literature about how women experience prison and the unique challenges they face as they reenter society such as motherhood, previous abuse, mental health, and housing. Conclusions drawn suggest that the current structure fails to prepare women for a society that denounces women who have been incarcerated. What is less known is how this research translates to the jail environment. For reasons to be discussed, it is likely that local jails are even less equipped to address women’s needs. We used data from in-depth semi-structured interviews with 14 women housed in a local urban jail to explore perceptions of jail and reentry prospects. The overriding feeling was that the jail was indifferent toward women and failed to prepare them for successful integration into society. Recommendations for improved jail conditions and reentry programming for women housed in jail are discussed. </p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Jackey, Hayley"],"institution":"Eastern Kentucky University","degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Master's","degree_discipline":"Justice Studies","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:15:53Z","subjects":["Carceral System","Courts","Experiences","Jail","Reentry","Women","Criminology","Women's Studies"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright 2021 Hayley Jackey"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/732","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Jackey, Hayley"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Master Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Justice Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Eastern Kentucky University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Carceral System","Courts","Experiences","Jail","Reentry","Women","Criminology","Women's Studies"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2021 Hayley Jackey"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/732"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The United States has seen an influx of incarcerated women since the 1980s with a 750% increase between 1980 and 2017. There is a substantial amount of literature about how women experience prison and the unique challenges they face as they reenter society such as motherhood, previous abuse, mental health, and housing. Conclusions drawn suggest that the current structure fails to prepare women for a society that denounces women who have been incarcerated. What is less known is how this research translates to the jail environment. For reasons to be discussed, it is likely that local jails are even less equipped to address women’s needs. We used data from in-depth semi-structured interviews with 14 women housed in a local urban jail to explore perceptions of jail and reentry prospects. The overriding feeling was that the jail was indifferent toward women and failed to prepare them for successful integration into society. Recommendations for improved jail conditions and reentry programming for women housed in jail are discussed.
"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/PDF"]},{"key":"dc:source","label":"Dc Source","values":["Encompass Digital Archive: Online Theses and Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Forgotten In Local Jails: A Carceral System Created To Fail Women."]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Jackey, Hayley"],"dc:description.abstract":["The United States has seen an influx of incarcerated women since the 1980s with a 750% increase between 1980 and 2017. There is a substantial amount of literature about how women experience prison and the unique challenges they face as they reenter society such as motherhood, previous abuse, mental health, and housing. Conclusions drawn suggest that the current structure fails to prepare women for a society that denounces women who have been incarcerated. What is less known is how this research translates to the jail environment. For reasons to be discussed, it is likely that local jails are even less equipped to address women’s needs. We used data from in-depth semi-structured interviews with 14 women housed in a local urban jail to explore perceptions of jail and reentry prospects. The overriding feeling was that the jail was indifferent toward women and failed to prepare them for successful integration into society. Recommendations for improved jail conditions and reentry programming for women housed in jail are discussed.
"],"dc:format":["application/PDF"],"dc:identifier":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/732"],"dc:publisher":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2021 Hayley Jackey"],"dc:source":["Encompass Digital Archive: Online Theses and Dissertations"],"dc:subject":["Carceral System","Courts","Experiences","Jail","Reentry","Women","Criminology","Women's Studies"],"dc:title":["Forgotten In Local Jails: A Carceral System Created To Fail Women."],"dc:type":["Master Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Justice Studies"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"],"thesis:institution_name":["Eastern Kentucky University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:15:53Z"}