Includes bibliographical references (pages 200-201) and index.
Contents:
Women and crime -- Women and punishment -- Women in the prison system -- Women and post-release supervision -- Case studies of criminal women. Amelia Sach -- Violet Watson -- Ann Griffith -- Ann Nicholls -- Eleanor Boniface alias Ann Knight -- Mary Ann Gannon -- Eliza Conner and Mary Leonard -- Ellen Dwyer and Lottie Child -- Emily Swann -- Elizabeth Dillon -- Eva Bebbington -- Julia Smith and Frances Murphy -- Maria Allen and Maria Adams -- Mary Ann Parr -- Mary Hardyman -- Elizabeth Dyer -- Mary Vickers alias 'Slasher' -- Sarah Chiswell -- Sarah Jane Day -- Sarah Tuff alias Sarah Poole -- Susannah Wells alias Watson -- Amelia Layton -- Ann Plowman -- Elizabeth Coppin -- Ellen Risden -- Maria Dibsdale -- Mary Fitzpatrick -- Arabella Matilda Hopton Sarah Davies -- Jane Foster -- How to research. Women's crimes -- How to research: women and the 'experience' of imprisonment -- How to research: women convicts and post-sentence supervision -- How to research: criminal women at home -- Conclusion.
Summary:
"Women are among the hardest individuals to trace through the historical record and this is especially true of female offenders who had a vested interest in not wanting to be found. That is why this thought-provoking and accessible handbook by Lucy Williams and Barry Godfrey is of such value. It looks beyond the crimes and the newspaper reports of women criminals in the Victorian era in order to reveal the reality of their personal and penal journeys, and it provides a guide for researchers who are keen to explore this intriguing and neglected subject. The book is split into three sections. There is an introduction outlining the historical context for the study of female crime and punishment, then a series of real-life case studies which show in a vivid way the complexity of female offenders' lives and follows them through the penal system. The third section is a detailed guide to archival and online sources that readers can consult in order to explore the life-histories of criminal women. The result is a rare combination of academic guide and how-to-do-it manual. It introduces readers to the latest research in the field and it gives them all the information they need to carry out their own research"--Publisher's description.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.