Date of Award
5-10-2026
Date Published
June 2026
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Political Science
Advisor(s)
Jenn Jackson
Keywords
criminal justice policy;governance;institutions;Womens incarceration.
Subject Categories
Political Science | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
Popular culture often depicts prison subcultures and gangs, yet these portrayals obscure the complexity of survival behind bars. Existing scholarship on prison life overwhelmingly focuses on men, emphasizing masculinity, race, safety, and community as the primary drivers of behavior. Women, however, represent the fastest-growing prison population in the United States, and their experiences remain under-theorized. This dissertation asks a different question: What if pseudo-families, mentorship networks, and subcultural norms aren't just coping mechanisms‚ what if they're governance institutions? Further, what if women build these systems in prisons not because they're emotional or naturally relational, but because formal institutions don't provide what they need to survive? What if the care work, the conflict mediation, the resource distribution, the informal leadership‚ what if all of that is actually institutional labor that keeps prisons functional? In this dissertation, I seek to understand how do these informal institutions actually work? What rules govern them? Who has authority? How do women navigate between formal policies and informal expectations? What happens when they conflict? And what does this tell us about gender, institutions, and survival under constraint? This dissertation brings attention back to the women behind bars. It examines how formal and informal institutions shape behavior, power, and community-building among incarcerated women in California’s prisons. Using qualitative interviews with both correctional staff and formerly incarcerated women, I explore how gendered institutional norms—masculine governance structures, pseudo-family arrangements, and gang subcultures—intersect to influence daily life and survival strategies. I find that women are intentional in their community building, forming governance institutions that fill the gaps left from failing formal policy and practices.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Morris, Amber, "Subversive Order: Gendered Institutions, Gang Networks, and Survival in American Women’s Prisons." (2026). Dissertations - ALL. 2266.
https://surface.syr.edu/etd/2266
