Barbosa, Mariana

Matos, Raquel

Salgueiro, Gabriela

English

Repositório Institucional da Universidade Católica Portuguesa

Foreign women in Portuguese prisons:  Narratives of  migration processes.*  Matos, R. (rmatos@porto.ucp.pt), Barbosa, M. & Salgueiro, G. *Research Project funded by FCT (PIHM/VG/0036/2008); School of Education and Psychology – UCP Porto. Results Final considerations References Coyle, A. (2009). La administración penitenciaria en el contexto de los derechos humanos. Londres: Centro Internacional de Estudos Penitenciarios.; Hostettler, U., & Achermann, C. (2008). Cidadãos estrangeiros em duas prisões na Suiça. Vida prisional, reabilitação e destino pós-reclusão. In. M.I. Cunha (Org.), Aquém e além da prisão. Cruzamentos e perspectivas. Lisboa: 90º Editora; Matos, R. (2008). Vidas raras de mulheres comuns. Coimbra: Edições Almedina; Seabra H. M. & Santos, T. (2006). Reclusos estrangeiros em portugal - esteios de uma problematização.Porto: ACIME - Alto Comissariado paroa a Imigração e Minorias Étnicas. • Migration emerges as a relevant topic in the narratives of foreign women in Portuguese prisons. Nevertheless, only a small part of such narratives concern immigration to Portugal, the country were these women are detained. • Within the foreign women’s trajectories, migrations seem to be usual, either in childhood or adulthood; but there is diversity in its’ types (e.g., city change, country change) and contexts (e.g., family instability, financial difficulties, deviant behaviors). • This preliminary analysis highlights the diversity of trajectories of foreign women in prison, even when the crime is similar. Further analysis, considering all the 42 participants in the study, will be important to the deconstruction of the arguments that foreigners in prison are mostly immigrants, and that immigration is inevitably related to crime. Method First study - 186 foreign women in prison were characterized in social demographic, criminal and legal aspects MIGRATION NARRATIVES CHILDHOOD ADULTHOOD Foreign women living in Portugal before imprisonment  A. I came to Lisbon when I was 12 with my parents’ friends. That’s what my mother always wanted for me.       (Ana*, Guinea Bissau, 30 years-old)      We went to Spain because there my father had a job.       (Elisa*, Croatia, 19 years-old)   A. I came to work;  My husband came first […] my father and brothers were already here.        (Amelia*, Cape Verde, 26 years-old); B. When I came I had no place to stay […] so I went to prostitution.        (Paula*, Romania, 29 years-old) Foreign women not living in Portugal before imprisonment  B. I grew older, I grew older, I moved a lot of school because we changed a lot from home.       (Maria*, Spain, 30 years-old);      I moved with my mother, who was recovering from drugs.      (Louise*, Holland, 27 years-old);        A. I got married in Nigeria.        (Louise*, Holland, 27 years-old); C.  I lived in Madrid, Rome and New York […]; I went back to […] when I hadn’t a place to stay anymore.       (Amanda*, Brazil, 27 years-old); * Fictional names In childhood (7/16) In adulthood (9/16) A.  Family financial difficulties – immigration / looking for better conditions in a new country; B.  Family instability (employment; social conditions; deviant  behaviors) – constant changes A. Immigration within a relationship / with the husband / partner; Immigration to get married; B. Immigration without support (difficult integration / prostitution); C. Immigration due to a conflict relation with the family / deviant behaviors (drugs’ use). Framework •The lack of research regarding women, crime and imprisonment and about foreign citizens in prison; •The increasing proportion of  foreign citizens in European prisons (Coyle, 2009); •The increasing proportion of female foreign inmates among the Portuguese prison population (Santos & Seabra, 2006; Hostettler & Achermann, 2008); •The need to deconstruct the stereotypes concerning immigration and crime. Objectives To analyze life trajectories of foreign women detained in Portuguese prisons, particularly migrations. Cluster 1 (Dimension: 24,3% N=42) Nationality: Europe(100%) Residence in Portugal: No (100%) Crime: Drug traffic (97,6%) Cluster 2 (Dimension: 29,5% N=51)  Nationality: South America (56,9%) Residence in Portugal: No (100%) Crime: Drug traffic (97,6%) Cluster 3 (Dimension: 29,5% N=51)  Nationality: Europe(56,9%) Residence in Portugal: Yes (88,1%) Crime:                   Property offences (35,7%)  Cluster 4 (Dimension: 29,5% N=51)  Nationality:  Africa (100%) Residence in Portugal: Yes (100%) Crime: Drug Traffic (100%) 2nd study 42 of the 186 women were interviewed about their life trajectories.   In this paper we present data from the analysis of 16 interviews (4 women whose characteristics matched each of the previous clusters).  16 Participants • 8 from Europe; 4 from South America; 4 from African countries • 8 living in Portugal before imprisonment • 8 detained for international drug trafficking; 4 for domestic drug trafficking and 4 for other crimes Living in the country  before imprisonment Almost all the women (14/16) described migrations in their life trajectories In both childhood and adulthood  (3/16) 

Foreign women in Portuguese prisons: Narratives of migration processes

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Foreign women in Portuguese prisons: Narratives of migration processes

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