A Woman Doing Life Analysis

Within the book , A Woman Doing Life: Notes from a Prison for Women, Erin George portrays her time at the Fluvanna Correctional Center , in which she serves her 603 year sentence. Before she entered the judicial system, she was an ordinary middle class, suburban mother. All of this changed when she was charged with the murder of her husband. In her book, George talks little of her trial , aside from the fact that she “found out the case was entirely circumstantial: there was no forensic evidence linking [her] to the shooting of [my] husband, no witnesses, and of course no confession”(George, Page 6). She then reminisces of her time being detained at Rappahannock Regional Jail. This, along with several other ordeals, led her to believe that …show more content…
However, this victory was short lived. A month before her trail the judge rescinded her bond. We cannot be sure, but this may be due to the fact that “so many women had told the police I had confessed to them before I initially bonded out” (Page 7). This type of behavior is not uncommon within the jail system and the multitude of people who practice it are referred to as “snitches”. The nature of snitching in jail is not always centered on the idea of revenge. In fact, the author states “A woman will snitch out an enemy, a cellmate, or even a friend for no discernable reason other than the victim has something that the snitch does not” (George Page 11). Not surprisingly, the author reveals that she quickly learned to avoid snitching and to remain tight lipped of her own affairs. The effect of Rappahannock Regional Jail on the psychological mind state of our author is apparent in her dealings with others, “I began to bully a few other women as well” (George, Page 13). In the end stages of chapter one the author speaks of her acceptance into jail society, stating that “For the most part, jail society …show more content…
In her writings, George dismisses acts of cowardice in combat, stating “In the rules of prison altercations, it is definitely not cool to double bank someone, which is what occurs when several inmates gang up on a solitary victim” (George, Page 62). Further reading shows us that these “street charges” usually get people added time to their sentences. In addition, George contends that “ The fights are “getting out of control as the rules become more rigid and inmates are increasingly isolated in their wings”(George, Page 68), which constitutes an adverse effect to the belief commonly held. However, our author finds herself in the honor wing, which is devoid of fights and has few verbal