Exposed Yet Unrevealed: Reflections on the Poetry of Women Prisoners

Women comprise a small but rapidly growing proportion of prisoners incarcerated in countries around the world. Research shows
that women experience prison differently than men, primarily due to the extent that personal relationships (both inside and
outside prison) shape the culture and climate of women’s prisons. However, the literature does not adequately address women’s
perspectives on their unique prison experiences. Prisoners’ poetry is a rich and largely untapped source of information that
offers nuanced views of crime, punishment, and prison life. This research employs poetry written by female prisoners as a
medium from which to learn about their lives in prison. The poems selected in this sample reflect a number of themes involving
the common feelings of pain and loneliness, the routine of prison life, traumatic pre-incarceration experiences, and family
issues. These themes are then compared with themes found in poetry written by male prisoners.