Numbered: Inside Idaho's Prison for Women, 1887-1968

by Colleen Brennan (Editor), Todd Shallat (Editor), Toni Rome (Graphic Designer)

"Abuse, morality, and self-destructive behavior drive these stories of Idahoans who deviated from the feminine norm. [This book] revisits a world dumbfounded by troublesome women. Horrifying at times and elsewhere touchingly funny, the book probes gendered roots of American jurisprudence and the double standard by which penitentiary men and women paid unequal wages for crime. Elegantly presented with original portraits and more than 200 remastered historical photos never before seen in print" -- from publisher.

Genres: Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Adrian Trujillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently visited the Historic Penitentiary in Idaho where I found/bought this book. I was instantly fascinated by the book’s cover of an innocent teen-looking female. A type of person that I couldn’t imagine would have done something criminal to end up in prison. This is an interesting read for anyone who likes books about prison history. This book focuses specifically on Idaho women prisoners during the existence of the penitentiary. You get to learn why these women did certain criminal acts. There are lots of colored pictures here which makes the book not so long. I like the ending pages that give you a list of women and a brief summary of what got them into the prison and for how long. This book is written by several people. I really appreciate the historical pictures. Even after finishing I’ll probably skim through the pictures and the prisoner faces in the future.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been slightly obsessed with the Old Idaho Penitentiary since I started listening to their podcast Behind Gray Walls earlier this year. This book is a really good companion to that podcast. I like having the pictures of the inmates all in one place, with little blurbs about their crimes. The articles were a little academic for me (and some of the prose was a little highfalutin), and I wish it went more into some of the crimes (like the lady who threw her baby off a train - why? And the woman who stabbed her ex-husband with a butcher knife in a park - what's the story with that?!), but other than that, I really enjoyed this. I hope the Idaho Historical Society comes out with a book based on the podcast that has in-depth biographies about all these people and what led them to do what they did. Fascinating and well worth the time for history buffs and prison aficionados.

[Iva Deobald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a bit disappointing.... just ok.