Transforming Choices: An analysis of the trajectory of women's federal imprisonment as articulated in 'Creating Choices' and 'A Roadmap to Public Safety'

• Author / Creator

  Struthers Montford, Kelly S.

• This thesis considers two prominent and contemporary documents pertaining to federal women’s imprisonment in Canada: Creating Choices: The Report of the Task Force on Federally Sentenced Women (1990) and A Roadmap to Strengthening Public Safety (2007). I argue that Creating Choices is a feminist policy document reflecting the greater political context of post-war social liberalism, which allowed feminists to make claims to equality on the grounds that women as a group, were structurally disadvantaged and discriminated against (Brodie, 2008a, 2008b). Conversely, Roadmap employs a gender-neutral law and order discourse; its authors assume that the recommendations they make for the male prisoners can be applied to women and minority groups. I contend that this report is reflective of neoliberalism’s emphasis on individual responsibility and self-sufficiency. The current implementation of Roadmap marks a shift in the trajectory of women’s imprisonment, and signals a political shift in which gender issues are marginalized.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Feminism
  • Gender neutrality and neoliberalism
  • Creating Choices
  • Transformation agenda
  • Women in prison Canada

• Graduation date

  Fall 2012

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Arts

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R32341

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.