Socio-economic study of women prisoners in central prison of Dharwad city

Pages: 560-566
Ravikanth B. Lamani (Department of Criminology and Forensic Science Karnataka University, Dharwad, Karnataka)
Chitkala Venkareddy (Department of Social Work, Karnataka University, Dharwad, Karnataka)

The study was designed to understand the reasons behind the rising criminal behaviour among women and also to learn about their life during imprisonment. Female crime is a crucial factor that disrupts family life and stability of the society. The nature of crime committed by them has changed from softer crime to heinous crime. To know the socio-economic factors behind committing their crime, their perception towards society and Prison administration are analyzed by using primary data which are collected by interviewing 46 Women Prisoners of Central Prison Dharwad. The data were collected by using structured interview schedule. The findings showed that lower Socio-Economic condition of the Prisoners have compelled them to commit crime. Lack of health care, infrastructure and employment opportunities are the major problems faced by the prisoners in Prison. Their observation towards the Society and Prison administration has significantly deteriorated. Results are interpreted in terms of current theories and implications for future are pointed out.