Problematising ‘vulnerability’ in women's prisons

‘Vulnerability’ is a commonly used but little understood term in the field of social policy and beyond. The refocusing of our criminal justice system around notions of ‘vulnerability’ has had wide-reaching consequences which often escape both academic and political attention. Seeking to advance analysis of the concept of ‘vulnerability’, we explore its operationalisation in women's prisons and argue that this is often in direct opposition to the way that the women themselves understand and experience the label of ‘vulnerable’. We draw upon notions of agency, risk, and resilience to re-examine how the ‘vulnerability zeitgeist’ may, in fact, be poorly serving those it aims to support and protect. Through utilising lived experience and empirical inquiry, this article problematises the term ‘vulnerability’, its operationalisation by prison staff, and suggests further work is needed in order to understand women's experiences of the term and its impact upon their time in prison.