Feminine Felons: Violent Offenders' Intersectional Experiences in Twentieth-Century Montana

Author

Cassidy Ann Vander Voort, The University Of MontanaFollow

Year of Award

2025

Document Type

Professional Paper

Degree Type

Master of Arts (MA)

Degree Name

History

Department or School/College

Department of History

Committee Chair

Anya Jabour

Commitee Members

Leif Fredrickson, Elizabeth Hubble

Keywords

Intersectional, Montana, Women, Prison, Media, Newspapers

Subject Categories

African American Studies | Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | Film and Media Studies | History | History of Gender | Indigenous Studies | Legal | Native American Studies | Public History | Reading and Language | Social History | Women's History | Women's Studies

Abstract

This paper explores the treatment of violent female offenders in Montana in both the media and prison system from 1900-1960. Women of all races faced gender discrimination from both the carceral system and popular media. Local newspapers sensationalized crimes committed by female offenders, portraying them as women who lived outside of the expectations of womanhood in the twentieth century. Newspapers and courts placed women into two categories: “mad/sad” female offenders, who received forgiveness for their crimes; or unforgivable, “bad” offenders. Crime did not determine these categorizations; instead, gender expectations of the white middle class shaped female criminals’ treatment. If these women could not present themselves as virtuous mothers, wives, and protectors of their communities, they were deemed unfavorable in the eyes of their peers. In particular, women of color experienced intersectional discrimination based on both their race and gender, which resulted in harsher sentencing for their crimes and biased coverage of their trials in newspapers across the state.

This work provides an overview of all 189 women imprisoned in the Montana State Prison at Deer Lodge in the twentieth century. It also includes case studies of nine women—three white, three African American, and three Native American—to explore how newspapers and courts treated female offenders differently based on race. White women consistently received forgiveness for their crimes from both the courts and their peers, being labeled “mad/sad” offenders and being granted the benefits of the “chivalry hypothesis.” Indigenous women were sometimes granted forgiveness for their crimes by the courts; however, their peers deemed them “bad” female offenders who were unable to redeem themselves. African American women faced discrimination in both the media and courts, experiencing the harshest sentences and marked by racialized language. While all women experienced gender discrimination, women of color faced discrimination from both their race and gender in the courts and popular media.

Recommended Citation

Vander Voort, Cassidy Ann, "Feminine Felons: Violent Offenders' Intersectional Experiences in Twentieth-Century Montana" (2025). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 12442.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/12442