The linguistic construction of the self-image of female offenders behind bars: a critical feminist criminology perspective

Abstract Feminist Criminology attempts to explain the origins and consequences of female criminality by examining a variety of phenomena, including female victims and female offenders. For breaking both the law and gendered standards about behavior, imprisoned women are seen as more culpable by both outsiders and themselves. In the context of imprisonment, language production of female offenders is a complex issue as it frames their idea of self-worth, hence, necessitating a multifaceted examination. Therefore, bringing a critical linguistic perspective on gender into the study of criminality enables us to make inferences about how women in incarceration create narratives and express their sense of self. This study navigates the linguistic traits that female offenders develop to establish their self-portrayal and representations to negotiate their identities within the restrictions of the jail system. Thus, this multifaceted analysis employs Van Dijk’s (2006. Ideology and discourse analysis. Journal of Political Ideologies 11(2). 115–140) Ideological Square with the dichotomy of “Us” (good, innocent) and “Them” (evil, guilty) to analyze a corpus that functions as a documentary about women behind bars. This work also investigates and uses the core concepts of the two forms of Shame discussed in the Reintegrative Shaming Theory (RST) (Braithwaite 1989. Crime, shame and reintegration . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) to extend and combine critical language tools to female criminology. The preliminary findings suggest that linguistic tools can identify specific linguistic elements and patterns that trigger self-representation (positive-self and negative-self) of female offenders. The findings also reveal that the detrimental connotations connected to the crimes committed by the incarcerated women can shape and impact their sense of identity and community.