History Main / GirlsBehindBars

Still, an unfortunate effect of MostWritersAreMale is that most of them have never been to a women's prison, nor do they know how life is really like inside of it. It can be because men are not allowed inside, much like women in men's prisons. It may be because [[FemalesAreMoreInnocent female offenders aren't considered as]] [[WomenAreDelicate violent]], [[ARealManIsAKiller dangerous]] or [[TheUnfairSex despicable]] [[DoubleStandard as male offenders]] and thus less worthy of scrutiny - never mind that being in a prison means they are ostensibly guilty of one or more crimes in the first place. It almost certainly involves a (possibly subconscious) downplaying of violence between females inmates, as acknowledging that would mean [[MenAreTheExpendableGender treating the loss of female life in the same way as loss of male life]]. It may even be because in most places, there are a lot more male prisoners than female. Or it may be because they just didn't bother with research.

* Averted in ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean'': The story revolves around protagonist Jolyne Kujo being framed for murder and sent to prison, but it's shown as a fairly bleak-as-RealLife women's prison, not romanticized in the slightest. (Although definitely filled with ArtisticLicense as Jojo tends to be with many things.)

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean'' begins with protagonist Jolyne Kujo being framed for murder and sent to prison.

* ''Film/Jailbait2014'' is set in a woman's correctional institute. There are liberal amounts of lesbian sex and underwear is apparently a privilege only earned after the first year.

* On ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'', Olivia goes undercover at a women's prison in one episode. However, it is definitely not played for prurient amusement; in fact she's sexually assaulted by a guard and several later episodes show her dealing with the trauma.

* ''Girls in Prison,'' a 1994 film that is an example of the innocent woman in prison plotline.

* ''Film/{{Gothika}}'' is a notable aversion, despite being an asylum for the criminally insane, featuring an all female prison with NO porn-like scene. The ShowerScene, for instance, features a bunch of inmates in which some are unattractive or old, like a RealLife women's prison would feature. Scenes in recreation rooms consist of those women often sobbing, staring blankly, or gabbling to themselves.

* In ''Film/{{Suffragette}}'' the protagonists are imprisoned for ... taking part in a demonstration for women's voting rights. Which law exactly forbids this is not clear, and they are also not treated as political prisoners, but as common criminals, and forced to strip and change into prison clothes, an additional humiliation designed to discourage them from standing up for their rights. The prison is not depicted as comfy, but realistically depicted as the horrid place a women's prison of that era would be - grey, cold cells, bad food, sadistic guards, and fellow prisoners who are too overworked and underfed to even think of entertaining violence or lesbian sexytimes. When the protagonist goes on hunger strike, she's force-fed, in a way that looks like torture. Which is probably what is is intended as, as the reason it is done is because the government doesn't want the women's rights movement to have a martyr. The only ''nice'' thing about the protagonist's stay in prison is the fact that she's given flowers and a medal by fellow suffragists when she's finally released and walks out of the prison door.
* ''Film/Jailbait2014'' is set in a woman's correctional institute. There is liberal amounts of lesbian sex and underwear is apparently a privilege only earned after the first year.

Still, an unfortunate effect of MostWritersAreMale is that most of them have never been to a women's prison, nor do they know how life is inside of it. It can be because men are not allowed inside, much like women in men's prisons. It may be because [[FemalesAreMoreInnocent female offenders aren't considered as]] [[WomenAreDelicate violent]], [[ARealManIsAKiller dangerous]] or [[TheUnfairSex despicable]] [[DoubleStandard as male offenders]] and thus less worthy of scrutiny - never mind that being in a prison means they are ostensibly guilty of one or more crimes in the first place. It almost certainly involves a (possibly subconscious) downplaying of violence between females inmates, as acknowledging that would mean [[MenAreTheExpendableGender treating the loss of female life in the same way as loss of male life]]. It may even be because in most places, there are a lot more male prisoners than female. Or it may be because they just didn't bother with research.

Needless to say, the above description is purely fantasy and '''NOT''' TruthInTelevision, except maybe for the shower scenes and the nudes searches, as can be seen in men's prisons. Female prisons are dangerous, disgusting hellholes - this is what makes them prisons and not, say, resorts. But the preponderance of the porn-friendly description is so deeply ingrained in pop-culture that realistic depictions of women's prison ''as a main setting'' that don't include these elements are exceptional.

* The Wrestling/WOWWomenOfWrestling TagTeam Caged Heat, named after the film, Loca and [[PunnyName Delta Lotta Pain]], who were the first and only [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_of_Wrestling WOW World Tag Team Champions]] until they were defeated by The All American Girls one year after the company's revival, and Vendetta, who mostly just hung around and did not return with them. They were billed from [[PartsUnknown the Nevada State Correctional Facility]], wore [[InstitutionalApparel orange jumpsuits]] and their [[SignatureMove signature moves]] had such names as "Hard Time" (BearHug with top rope clothesline) and "Capital Punishment" (better known as Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys' "Dudley Death Drop"/"3D," a combined flapjack and a [[Wrestling/DiamondDallasPage "cutter"]]). Their [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri1aadv70og entrance video]] showed them in prison rapping their [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic theme song]][[note]]Theirs was the only one with lyrics[[/note]]. The absence of logic in the fact that they were supposedly driven to the arena from ''prison'', and then sent back after the match, was not even [[{{Handwave}} Handwaved]] away, as this promotion adhered to an old-school, straight-faced {{Kayfabe}} mentality, which is what would be expected from a promotion started by David [=McLane=], who had previously created Wrestling/{{GLOW}} in TheEighties. In 2000-2001, this was a decided contrast to Wrestling/{{WWE}}'s Wrestling/AttitudeEra, which was taking place at the same time. Despite the implications of their [[TheGimmick gimmick]], they were VERY popular. The revival did come up with a reason for their presence (and absence of Vendetta). A lawyer named Sophia Lopez had been fighting to prove their innocence and finally did in 2012, for ''two'' of them.

* The [[http://www.wowe.com/ WOW (Women of Wrestling)]] TagTeam Caged Heat, named after the film, Loca and [[PunnyName Delta Lotta Pain]], who were the first and only [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_of_Wrestling WOW World Tag Team Champions]] until they were defeated by The All American Girls one year after the company's revival, and Vendetta, who mostly just hung around and did not return with them. They were billed from [[PartsUnknown the Nevada State Correctional Facility]], wore [[InstitutionalApparel orange jumpsuits]] and their [[SignatureMove signature moves]] had such names as "Hard Time" (BearHug with top rope clothesline) and "Capital Punishment" (better known as Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys' "Dudley Death Drop"/"3D," a combined flapjack and a [[Wrestling/DiamondDallasPage "cutter"]]). Their [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri1aadv70og entrance video]] showed them in prison rapping their [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic theme song]][[note]]Theirs was the only one with lyrics[[/note]]. The absence of logic in the fact that they were supposedly driven to the arena from ''prison'', and then sent back after the match, was not even [[{{Handwave}} Handwaved]] away, as this promotion adhered to an old-school, straight-faced {{Kayfabe}} mentality, which is what would be expected from a promotion started by David [=McLane=], who had previously created Wrestling/{{GLOW}} in TheEighties. In 2000-2001, this was a decided contrast to Wrestling/{{WWE}}'s Wrestling/AttitudeEra, which was taking place at the same time. Despite the implications of their [[TheGimmick gimmick]], they were VERY popular. The revival did come up with a reason for their presence (and absence of Vendetta). A lawyer named Sophia Lopez had been fighting to prove their innocence and finally did in 2012, for ''two'' of them.

* The [[http://www.wowe.com/ WOW (Women of Wrestling)]] TagTeam Caged Heat, named after the film, Loca and [[PunnyName Delta Lotta Pain]], who were the first and only [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_of_Wrestling WOW World Tag Team Champions]] until they were defeated by The All American Girls one year after the company's revival, and Vendetta, who mostly just hung around and did not return with them. They were billed from [[PartsUnknown the Nevada State Correctional Facility]], wore orange jumpsuits and their [[SignatureMove signature moves]] had such names as "Hard Time" (BearHug with top rope clothesline) and "Capital Punishment" (better known as Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys' "Dudley Death Drop"/"3D," a combined flapjack and a [[Wrestling/DiamondDallasPage "cutter"]]). Their entrance video showed them in prison rapping their [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic theme song]][[note]]Theirs was the only one with lyrics[[/note]]. The absence of logic in the fact that they were supposedly driven to the arena from ''prison'', and then sent back after the match, was not even [[{{Handwave}} Handwaved]] away, as this promotion adhered to an old-school, straight-faced {{Kayfabe}} mentality, which is what would be expected from a promotion started by David [=McLane=], who had previously created Wrestling/{{GLOW}} in TheEighties. In 2000-2001, this was a decided contrast to Wrestling/{{WWE}}'s Wrestling/AttitudeEra, which was taking place at the same time. Despite the implications of their [[TheGimmick gimmick]], they were VERY popular. The revival did come up with a reason for their presence (and absence of Vendetta). A lawyer named Sophia Lopez had been fighting to prove their innocence and finally did in 2012, for ''two'' of them.

* ''Film/LadiesTheyTalkAbout'' is an early example from ThePreCodeEra.

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': [[CoversAlwaysLie The covers]] play up the fanservice angle when Wondy is imprisoned on an all female slave planet with a bunch of extraterrestrial humanoid women. The comics themselves do ''not'', though her outfit does end up rather revealing as she adjusted it into short shorts and a midriff revealing top due to the heat.

* WOW's {{spiritual successor}}s CRUSH and Wrestling/{{Wrestlicious}} featured a wrestler known as Felony (Wrestling/CheerleaderMelissa in the former, indie wrestler Rain [[TheOtherDarrin in the latter]]). The gimmick worked on the premise she was allowed to wrestle on work release. She had to be led to the ring in handcuffs by her parole officer and a RunningGag would be Felony trying to escape from him whenever she got the chance.

* ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' had [[spoiler:Piper]] in prison briefly.

Still, an unfortunate effect of MostWritersAreMale is that most of them have never been to a women's prison, nor do they know how life is inside of it. It can be because men are not allowed inside, much like women in men's prisons. It may be because [[DoubleStandard female offenders aren't considered as]] [[WomenAreDelicate violent]], [[ARealManIsAKiller dangerous]] or [[TheUnfairSex despicable]] [[DoubleStandard as male offenders]] and thus less worthy of scrutiny - never mind that being in a prison means they are ostensibly guilty of one or more crimes in the first place. It almost certainly involves a (possibly subconscious) downplaying of violence between females inmates, as acknowledging that would mean [[MenAreTheExpendableGender treating the loss of female life in the same way as loss of male life]]. It may even be because in most places, there are a lot more male prisoners than female. Or it may be because they just didn't bother with research.

* ''Caged,'' a 50's film that is considered a classic example of women in prison. It's something of an UnbuiltTrope, as the story is more of a film noir - showing how the innocent Marie Allen is [[CorruptTheCutie slowly corrupted]] by the system and becomes just as cold and ruthless as her fellow prisoners. It's pretty much a gender flipped version of any male prison story, without the fetish elements of a usual GirlsBehindBars story.

* The third season of ''Series/LostGirl'' sees Bo in prison for having gone on a crime spree following the defeat of the Garuda. It's... kinda porny, in keeping with the [[FanService tone of the show]].
* In one episode of ''Series/PoliceWoman'' from 1974, detective sgt. Pepper Anderson has to go undercover in a women's prison. Despite looking like a high-security facility from the outside, with guard towers and tall walls, the inside of the prison is rather "soft": the inmates don't have cells, but "rooms" (without doors), the furniture looks more comfortable than in most depictions of prisons, and the guards seem pretty nice for prison guards. If there is any FanService it is that all the inmates are young, good-looking (with makeup and nice hairdos), wear uniforms consisting of sleeveless minidresses, and spend a lot of time walking around in their short nighties.

* ''Series/LostGirl''. Bo ends up in prison in "Caged Fae", with obligatory girl-on-girl fanservice.

* ''TrippingTheRift'' has a women's prison themed episode. It contains skimpy prison dresses, a shower scene, and a catfight during said shower scene.

* O'Brien spends time in a women's prison during ''ComicBook/ThePunisherMAX'' arc where Frank is going after Nicky Cavella and his men for pissing on his family's remains. Being a ''Punisher MAX'' story, O'Brien's arc is played for drama rather than titillation as she fights viciously to keep the other convicts from raping her.

* Mentioned briefly in ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner''. In the Strong Bad Email [[http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail193.html rated]], Strong Bad makes reference to the "triple-R rated" ''Women's Penitentiary Bakesale Nightmare''.

[[quoteright:300:[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jjgbb_2638.jpg]]]]

->'''Marshall:''' Spending ten months undercover in a women's prison? I can think of worse.
->'''Mary:''' You do know it's not all lingerie and pillow fights?
->'''Marshall:''' But it is sometimes, right?

* In ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'', Joy frets about going to prison, because she is GenreSavvy enough to know that it's ''not'' lingerie and pillow fights. (Randy tries to convince her that it won't be so bad, because of this trope.)