“Besides, Who Would Believe a Prisoner?”: Indiana Women’s Carceral Institutions, 1848–1920

by Michelle Daniel Jones (Editor)

A groundbreaking collective work of history by a group of incarcerated scholars that resurrects the lost truth about the first women’s prison

What if prisoners were to write the history of their own prison? What might that tell them—and all of us—about the roots of the system that incarcerates so many millions of Americans?
In this groundbreaking and revelatory volume, a group of incarcerated women at the Indiana Women’s Prison have assembled a chronicle of what was originally known as the Indiana Reformatory Institute for Women and Girls, founded in 1873 as the first totally separate prison for women in the United States. In an effort that has already made the national news, and which was awarded the Indiana History Outstanding Project for 2016 by the Indiana Historical Society, the Indiana Women’s Prison History Project worked under conditions of sometimes-extreme duress, excavating documents, navigating draconian limitations on what information incarcerated scholars could see or access, and grappling with the unprecedented challenges stemming from co-authors living on either side of the prison walls.
With contributions from ten incarcerated or formerly incarcerated women, the result is like nothing ever produced in the historical a document that is at once a shocking revelation of the roots of America’s first prison for women, and also a meditation on incarceration itself. Who Would Believe a Prisoner? is a book that will be read and studied for years to come as the nation continues to grapple with the crisis of mass incarceration.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Womens, Grad School, American History, Feminism

339 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 25, 2023

Reviews

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a while to get into this book but once I did, I pretty much read it in one sitting, and I did not see time fly. That first line might seem like a strange way to start a review for an history book, but this book is a lot more than pure history, but it is also well documented history (peep that bibliography) delivered in a way that is anything but dry.

I remember when I was in school and we were told that we should never research something that affects us personally because we might have blind spots, this book makes almost entirely the opposite point, I liked that. I feel like I have to point out that I thought there was a great deal of humanity in how the authors treat all of their subjects, even when the people they talk about are deeply unsympathetic.

I found it particularly interesting how the authors showed that there was always a capitalistic aim that superseded any actual moral imperative that might have been claimed by the people who created carceral institutions, not that I was surprised by it, I just really thought the way it was explained and documented was great.

I received an eARC of this book from The New Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Ally Muterspaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Who Would Believe a Prisoner?" is an incise record and analysis of the first women's carceral facilities in Indiana, and how the violence of those institutions affect current women in facilities. The book is broken into three parts: Indiana's first prisons/reformatories, control over women's sexuality, and House of the Good Shepherd. The incarcerated scholars have unearthed critical pieces of Indiana history.

[Sam Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh, I am so thankful to all of the fantastic women and archivists behind The Indiana Women's Prison History Project in collaboration with The New Press for gracing me with a copy of this book. Who Would Believe a Prisoner?: Indiana Women's Carceral Institutions is a heartbreaking yet brutally honest depiction of female prisoners being treated and misrepresented in the system.

This book was written through manual research studies due to the limited media access in their outdated midwest institution. However, each entry is chocked-full of research and narratives that detail the horrors and trials endured throughout each sentence. I think this title poses an interesting question, and I would generally say I would need additional context and background information about the reason for the sentencing. Still, having read this book in-depth and in entirety, I'd have to revert my response and switch to believing these women, all women, but especially these women.

This outstanding production is set to publish on April 25, 2023, and I am over the moon and ecstatic to celebrate that release with everyone!

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot express how powerful it is to read a book on incarcerated women WRITTEN BY incarcerated women. I learned so much about the lifestyle of the incarcerated women and how much religion and misogyny played a role. Here’s a tidbit on a “lustful” woman:

“I’ve heard tell that this sort of woman’s vagina is more powerful than the jaws of an animal.”

If you want to read a book that reminds you how disgusting men are, I highly recommend! /s

This was a harrowing read on how dehumanized incarcerated women were, but a necessary one.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance review copy of this book. I found this book very interesting, both the topic and the authors/researchers who wrote the book. My heart went out to the women who were held against their will at so many establishments that purported to want to help women. Reading and learning about history is important and there are parts of this book that will stay with me, especially the statement towards the end of the book that "This project also affirmed what we knew intimately, a nonviolent woman-run correctional facility serving women is imaginary" (Michelle Daniel Jones, 2023). I admire the authors for their perseverance in writing this book, despite being faced with many challenges while doing so. Their lived experiences contribute so much insight into this topic.

[Michelle Ogden · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Indiana Women’s Prison History Project beat the odds to make this book happen. Many administrators tried to silence these incarcerated female scholars. The societal purpose of prison was supposed to rehabilitate prisoners this book highlights the history of prisons in Indiana. The problems of these prisons and current prisons is that they don’t succeed in rehabilitation. The authors of this book had to rely on outsiders to help them with research. They were denied access to documents and books. They had to negotiate computer time and lacked internet access. They had to deal with administrative changeovers that tried to squash the project and their spirits but this is a story that needed to be told. This book is really two books in one; the story of the authors rising above their situation and the history of women’s institutions in Indiana. Far more than of interest to Hoosiers this book will help readers empathize with women who have found themselves in a situation with no good choices and the fortitude it takes change.

[Rachel Merryweather · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up

I am so incredibly impressed with the scholarship of these women and the work they did to access so many records from prison. This is high-caliber academic writing and research.

One of the neat things about their methodology is also one of the downsides of the book. Because they are writing from the perspective of the incarcerated about the incarcerated, the authors had unique insights that aided their research, the whole "Where are the hoes?" side quest being a great example. Unfortunately, that perspective works as a double edged sword, sometimes veering into bias. Painting the brothel owner as a hero without a lot of first-person accounts of her is one example that comes to mind.

Anyway, I loved this project and getting to witness their work and their history.

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vitally important, extremely well researched, and well constructed. This is such an interesting and critical examination of the conditions of incarcerated women. This book is on Hoopla so if your library has access to it, I can't recommend it enough.

I hadn't heard of lived epistemologies as a way of positioning work but so value that concept and the way it shaped these researchers' perspectives.

This line from the conclusion really sums it up: how much violence enacted upon incarcerated women is enough for the citizens for whom the system acts to demand and enact change?

[Corin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could use some editing for overall consistency but otherwise an insightful look at the carceral system for women in Indiana. Researched and written by a group of current women prisoners, the lived experiences of the authors shows through.

[Kylie Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

A neat concept for a book and a good way to dive into (disturbing) concepts related to women's/prison history. Overall the essays themselves weren't mind-blowing and pretty clearly written by students, but again the overall approach to the book was fascinating.

[Barbara Wellnitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite what I expected but very informative of how women were treated by other women amid the mores of the time. Thank goodness a lot of that no longer exists!