Social relations among Women inmates in Adana Closed Prison

There are in total only five prisons for women in Turkey and therefore facilities and conditions are insufficient for women prisoners. Furthermore, there has not been sufficient research made on women prisoners. The existing research mostly focuses on women's criminality and the types of crimes committed. However the living conditions of women prisoners within the prison, the life dynamics and social lives of the women within the prison have not been sufficiently examined. This research aims to understand the dynamics lying under the friendships, solidarity or conflict relations of women prisoners from an anthropological approach. The research focuses on whether various dynamics such as types of crime, women's life experiences in and out of prison, their social environment has affected the communication networks among women and the manner in which these were effective. The aim of the study which is the result of a field research that lasted from March 2011 to March 2012 in the Adana closed women's prison, is to understand how imprisoned women perceive and understand each other and to examine how these women fictionalize the relations among themselves. In total 58 women prisoners were interviewed; participant observation and thorough interview methods were used. The aim was to understand concepts such as power, guilt, hierarchy, chastity, sharing of common fate, solidarity, conflict, rulership, virtual family bonds and friendship by through analysis of the relations among women, In the research account the real names of the women have not been used. The research results show that the imprisoned women cast roles and characters for themselves and for other women within the new community that they create and that they continue to live in on a daily basis. It was especially observed that women who are away from their families recreate a "virtual" family and family relations are established for themselves within these new families. As it is the case in most kinds of relationships, in prison culture intense power and hierarchy are observed the life practices of women. Relationships are shaped according to these dynamics and roles. It is also another observed fact that especially concepts of power and hieararchy which give shape to relations within the ward also play an important role in giving shape to relations between women. While solidarity and friendship help prisoner women to understand and apply the prison culture and codes, it was also observed that animosity and hostility between imprisoned women makes the prison a very difficult place to live in for these women. In this research where different types of social networks were examined, the self determined status of women are being reshaped every day.