Distance and Proximity in Staff-Prisoner Relationships in Women’s Prisons (PID045)

2pm – 2.30pm EST, 20 February 2025 ‐ 30 mins

Parallel Workshops

The Bangkok rules recognize the vulnerability of incarcerated women to sexual abuse and harassment from staff. These issues have been at the forefront of attention in the Netherlands, after highly publicized cases of sexual abuse and inappropriate relations in Dutch women’s prisons. In this paper we will (1) sketch the Dutch context of women’s prisons, including the cases of staff misconduct; (2) discuss the impact these cases have had on staff-prisoner relationships; and (3) suggest recommendations for improving safety in women’s prisons. Two governors of women’s prisons will outline the cases in their prisons and discuss the direct impact on incarcerated women and staff. This will be combined with findings from an independent research study, conducted in three women’s prisons in the Netherlands.
This presentation will address the difficulties of finding a good balance between distance and proximity in the relationship between staff and incarcerated women. It is necessary to discuss the boundaries of healthy and constructive staff-prisoner relationships, give staff tools to address ethical challenges and moral dilemmas, and create safe and accessible options for incarcerated women to bring attention to cases of staff sexual misconduct. Additionally, it is important to recognize that a desire for intimacy and sexual contact can play a role in social relations among incarcerated women, and in their interactions with staff. The paper will finish with a discussion of practical recommendations for preventing and detecting staff (sexual) misconduct, including monitoring mechanisms and adequate reporting options for incarcerated women.