Issues of women's crime and imprisonment constitute a contested terrain in Indian academic research. Shankardass (2000) rightly argues that studies and theories in these areas are beset by the twin difficulties posed by the male-centric bias of mainstream criminology and the limitations of its Eurocentric origins.

To begin with, the discussion examines theoretical accounts of women's crimes. Explanations for women's crimes have revolved primarily around biological determinism and socio-economic contexts. Most research in India has followed these traditions. Feminist perspectives in the West have broadened the scope by introducing a critical component that addresses race, gender, sexuality, and class. Post colonial theory in India has critiqued the modernist and imperial project. Feminism in India has had its formative inspiration in this larger critical venture and also its theoretical agenda has been strongly influenced by issues of caste, class, and gender; their changing forms and roles in modernising India. However, it is a struggle to find any literature that deals with critical understanding of women who offend and about the treatment they receive by the society and in prisons.

Secondly, the study delves into extant researches on the lives of women in prison. Studying women's crimes tells us one side of the story, but what about the other side? This is the story of the reactions of the society to women's offences. It is in this context that the prison emerges as a central institution.