Procedural injustice

This article draws attention to Black women’s experiences in prison with a focus on the processes and policies in place that result in the oppression and disadvantage of Black women’s well-being and resettlement. The article looks at two processes: Discrimination Incident Reporting Forms (DIRFs) and Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL). it will be argued that both processes disadvantage Black women. DIRFs are not effective due to a lack of trust and faith in the process; Black women have no faith that the system will rectify the discrimination they face and instead believe it is counter-effective, leading to prison staff using DIRFs to further disadvantage them. In relation to ROTLs, Black women were acutely aware of the discrepancy in timescales for their ROTLs to be approved and when they were approved, they complained of disrupted outings, or a lack of employment opportunities compared to their white counterparts. Lastly, this article will look at Black History Month (BHM) in prison and the ways in which it is experienced by Black women. This article aims to amplify the voices of Black women in the female penal state to highlight the need for procedural reforms.