Abstracts
Résumé
Les recherches offrant un aperçu descriptif du profil des femmes incarcérées demeurent rares. Cet article comble une part de ce manque en analysant le portrait des femmes condamnées et incarcérées en Belgique francophone entre 2019 et 2021 (N=1.048). Fondée sur une méthodologie quantitative descriptive, l’étude repose sur l’examen systématique des dossiers pénitentiaires afin de recueillir des informations démographiques, sociales, judiciaires et relatives aux faits menant à l’incarcération. Les résultats dressent le portrait de femmes ayant dépassé le milieu de la trentaine, de nationalité belge et mères de famille. Elles présentent également des antécédents judiciaires et sont condamnées à de courtes peines, principalement pour des infractions contre les biens commises en co-délinquance. Leurs trajectoires révèlent l’existence de vulnérabilités multiples caractérisées par une précarité socio-économique, des relations sociales dysfonctionnelles ainsi que des problèmes de santé mentale et de consommation. L’adoption d’une approche intersectionnelle permet de dépasser une lecture individualisante de ces vulnérabilités et d’envisager la délinquance féminine comme le produit de désavantages interdépendants issus d’un processus de marginalisation. Cette perspective contribue à une compréhension nuancée des parcours féminins et souligne l’importance d’une prise en charge adaptée, tout en ouvrant la voie à de futures initiatives attentives à la convergence de vulnérabilités multiples.
Mots-clés :
- Femmes incarcérées,
- Prisons,
- Belgique,
- Profil,
- Vulnérabilités,
- intersectionnalité
Abstract
Research providing a descriptive overview of the profile of incarcerated women remains scarce. This article fills part of this gap by analyzing the profile of women convicted and incarcerated in French-speaking Belgium between 2019 and 2021 (N=1,048). Based on a quantitative descriptive methodology, the study relies on the systematic examination of prison files to collect demographic, social, judicial, and offense-related information that led to incarceration. The results paint a picture of women in their mid-thirties, of Belgian nationality, and mothers. They also have criminal records and are sentenced to short terms, mainly for property offenses committed as co-offenders. Their trajectories reveal multiple vulnerabilities characterized by socio-economic precariousness, dysfunctional social relationships, and mental health and substance abuse problems. Adopting an intersectional approach makes it possible to move beyond an individualized reading of these vulnerabilities and to view female delinquency as the product of interdependent disadvantages resulting from a process of marginalization. This perspective contributes to a nuanced understanding of women's pathways and highlights t.he importance of tailored support, while paving the way for future initiatives that address the convergence of multiple vulnerabilities.
Keywords:
- Incarcerated women,
- Belgium,
- profile,
- vulnerabilities,
- intersectionality
Appendices
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