In the Mix: Struggle and Survival in a Women's Prison

The first book-length treatment of the nature of prison culture among women in thirty years, In the Mix describes the prison culture in a large California prison, from the point of view of the women themselves. Based on three years of study, including participant-observation, in-depth interviews and surveys, this book describes the daily life of the prison from a variety of perspectives, with an emphasis on the gendered nature of its social organization, roles and normative frameworks.

The title, In the Mix, describes the contours of prison culture and its themes of trouble, programming and relationships. Common themes, such as the impact of substance use, limited economic opportunity, patriarchy, survival on the streets and in the prison, thread through the individual chapters. Owen argues that prison culture for women is tied directly to the role of women in society as well as a dynamic social structure that is shaped by the conditions of women's lives in prison and in the free world.

Author: Barbara Owen
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Published: 01/15/1998
Pages: 232
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.68lbs
Size: 8.95h x 5.94w x 0.52d
ISBN: 9780791436080

About the Author
Barbara Owen is Professor of Criminology at California State University-Fresno. She is the author of The Reproduction of Social Control: A Study of Prison Workers at San Quentin.

This title is not returnable