Carceral harm and gender

This panel brings together critical perspectives on the gendered harms of incarceration across different global contexts, from South Africa to the United States.

The discussion opens with the case of Jade September, a trans woman incarcerated in an all-male prison in South Africa. Focusing on September v Subramoney NO and Others, the panel explores how prisons enforce violent systems of gender governance, and asks what law can—and cannot—do to challenge the surveillance, discipline, and punishment of gender nonconformity.

The panel then turns to the lived experiences of formerly incarcerated women in the United States, shedding light on the deep isolation of imprisonment, the toll it takes on family relationships, and the structural barriers faced by incarcerated mothers seeking to maintain contact with their children.

Taking a comparative perspective, the panel highlights how carceral institutions reproduce and reinforce structural inequalities and normative violence, and also explore alternatives.

Students, researchers, and anyone interested in gender, law, punishment, and social justice are welcome!