Responsibilisation and female imprisonment in contemporary penal policy: ‘Respect Modules’ (‘Módulos de Respeto’) in Spain

Abstract

In order to advance the study of female penal enforcement in the 21st century, this article examines how new strategies of neoliberal penal governance, introduced over the past decade in Spain, take shape in everyday practices and dynamics of prison life, as well as examining intersections with traditional forms of punishment and discipline. More specifically, this study addresses the case of Respect Modules (‘Módulos de Respeto’) in women’s facilities, and the article reveals that the implementation of practices of classification and responsibilisation reinforces traditional features of female penal enforcement in the Spanish penal system such as discipline, control and obedience. These technologies of the self are built on gender, race and nationality stereotypes. The article demonstrates how the current evolution of the penal system leads to an increasingly severe discipline and to a persistent inadequate attention paid to incarcerated women’s needs. Finally, the methodology of the research was qualitative, consisting of non-participatory direct observation in three prisons and interviews with incarcerated women, technical and management teams, political authorities and former authorities of the prison system.