As the New York City Department of Corrections prepares to permanently close Rikers Island, the question of how to build a better, less horrific jail has once again entered the public consciousness. Rikers has come to symbolize the many horrors inflicted by the carceral system; excessive use of force, staff shortages, cramped conditions, a culture of violence grounded in dehumanization, and a rising suicide rate characterize the jail’s ninety-one-year history. As a result of decades'worth of campaigning, the New York City Council voted to close the penal colony in October of 2019 and replace it with a borough-based system composed of five new jails. Though aiming to reduce the incarcerated population and improve material conditions for all those detained, efforts to keep the plan on track have fallen short. As Mayor Adams adopts increasingly tough-on-crime policies, activists point to a myriad of insufficiencies threatening the jails before their opening. Joining the wave of opposition to the city’s plan, in the Spring of 2022, the Columbia Justice Lab proposed an entirely new ‘solution’. For the women incarcerated at Rosie’s, the women’s unit on Rikers Island, the university-funded think tank proposed a move to The Women’s Center for Justice, a “feminist” jail to be housed in Harlem and designed to address trauma and “meet the needs of the women and gender-nonconforming people in the facility.” The university-funded think tank quickly faced resistance of its own, with abolitionists rejecting the notion that a jail can be feminist.

To probe the concept of a feminist jail, this project examines interactions between the mainstream feminist movement and the carceral system, spanning from the late 19th to late 20th centuries. In doing so, I trace the idea back to early 20th-century prison reformers who sought the establishment of female-only institutions which they believed were best suitable to the unique needs of women. I go further to analyze the outcomes of aforementioned efforts, drawing from abolitionist and feminist theory to reveal how carceral institutions (in any iteration) mask the true source of inequality and thus stand in direct opposition to feminist liberatory aims.  

The archive of the Women’s Prison Association, along with city municipal records, give insight into the reformist solutions to problems that continue to face New York City’s prisons such as overcrowding, lack of adequate medical care and interpersonal violence. Established in 1845 as an intended overseer and provider for the state’s corrections department, the WPA’s close proximity to both the Department of Corrections and systems-impacted individuals situate it as a valuable tool for gaining insight into 20th century prison reform. Comparing annual organization reports, case files and news headlines, we gain a deeper understanding of the roots and shortcomings of an ongoing struggle for a system that is both fair and just for all. 

Employing archival methodology, I dissect the early history of the Women’s House of Detention, attributing its existence to white feminist efforts. Demonstrating the ways in which modern-day carceral feminism (as reflected in the CJL’s efforts) is an outgrowth of this early and well-intentioned social movement, this paper seeks to shed light on the ways white feminism has functioned to reproduce the gendered violence of the carceral system that we now confront once more. In doing so, I seek to illuminate the futility of continued reform efforts and how the care of women and gender non-conforming people has been used to bolster the carceral system, challenging us to reconsider the foundation upon which our advocacy stands.