Violence is one of the most serious forms of discrimination on account of sex /gender. It is a phenomenon that affects women of different social classes, ethnic and professional groups. Some of these women end up involved with situations that leads them to imprisonment.

To identify histories of gender violence in a feminine jail population; to analyze the relation of this violence with the imprisonment.

Understand the circumstances of gender violence that imprisoned women were exposed.

Thematic oral history research, carried out at the Female Penitentiary in Ribeirão Preto (SP) - Brazil. A semistructured interview was applied to 15 female prisoners.

The analysis of the prisoners’ narratives allowed the identification of two categories: “involvement with criminal partners” and “victimization and violence cycle”. In both, the interviewed women understood that they were dominated by men and considered the violence against them deep-rooted in human culture. They claimed that their involvement in criminal activities, mainly drug trafficking, was under the influence or enticement by companions. Some of them were arrested because they carried drugs to their partners inside male penitentiaries. They said that they had no alternative to the criminal activity as there were no social support and opportunities.

The complexity of violence against women makes necessary the implementation of health, social assistance and education public policies that comprise combat, prevention, assistance and assurance of women’s rights.