1st Edition
Gender, Punishment and the Maternal Subject of Law The Matrix of Vulnerabilities
By Stevie Lang Howson
Copyright 2026
210 Pages
by
Routledge
210 Pages
by
Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
This book analyses the experiences of mothers in the criminal justice system, arguing that a legal system oriented around the idea of isolating and punishing individuals – without considering the relational dynamics in which they are embedded – produces disproportionate punishment for mothers.
Drawing on original qualitative research, the book considers the relevance of mothering to women’s... Read more
1. Introduction
2. Defining the Maternal Subject of the Law
3. The Matrix of Vulnerabilities – How Unsupported Mothering Shapes Pathways to Prison
4. Gendered Punishment – The Impacts of Incarceration on Mothers
5. Sentencing Mothers in New South Wales: Between Legal Equality and Gendered Punishment
6. Responding to Dependency: Law Reform and Maternal Incarceration
Biography
Stevie Lang Howson is a lecturer in sociology and gender studies at the University of New England, Australia.
