Prison life has long fascinated those of us who follow the law. We often hear the anecdotal (and probably terrible) advice given to newcomers to the clink: fight the biggest guy to assert dominance, watch yourself in the showers, and so on. Women’s prisons, though less familiar, have gradually entered the public eye through documentaries and streaming shows like Orange Is the New Black, offering a sensationalized glimpse into life behind bars.
But what are female prisoners really like? Are they incarcerated for the same serious crimes as men? Do they reach the same level of notoriety as high-profile male criminals like Charles Bronson? Here is a list of ten of the most notable female prisoners ever.
10- Genene Jones
Individuals who commit violent crimes are among the most deserving to be behind bars. The threat of taking someone’s life should be enough to keep you from society. However, harming a child is on a whole other level.
Born in 1950, this Texan individual was a pediatric nurse, coming into contact with children daily. By administering harmful substances to her victims, investigators estimate that Jones caused the deaths of around 60 children, making her a serial offender. Sentenced to 99 years for the death of Chelsea Ann McLellan, it seemed Jones was destined for a life behind bars. In a staggering u-turn, a mandatory release law was passed, and Jones was considered for release after only serving a third of her sentence. After much effort and more deaths attributed to her coming to light, a jury decided she should remain a prisoner for life.
9- Cathy Wood and Gwendolyn Graham
Who can stand against a toxic relationship? The kind of bond that leads to harming others to seal a connection.
When Graham and Wood, both aides at Alpine Manor, met, their relationship quickly descended into violence. Wood admitted to causing the deaths of five patients together, choosing victims based on the first letters of their names in an attempt to spell “MURDER,” which would somehow bond them forever. After a few incidents, they abandoned the spelling, but the harm continued. Proving that the seal didn’t work, the couple split. A few years later, Wood confessed to her husband and, in exchange for testifying against Graham, was sentenced to 40 years, receiving parole in 2018 (after being denied eight times). Graham received five life sentences.
8- Nannie Doss
When you read about a serial offender, unsettling images come to mind. It becomes even more disturbing when the individual is a grandmother, also known as the Giggling Granny, someone with a seemingly sunny disposition.
Nancy Hazel, aka Nannie Doss, had many nicknames: Lady Bluebeard, Jolly Black Widow, and the Lonely Hearts Killer. Arrested for the death of her husband in 1955, Nannie Doss confessed to causing the deaths of four more. However, speculation is rife that she harmed almost 12 people throughout her life. When one husband became too much, she would end his life and move on to the next. At her trial, she blamed her actions on a brain injury, but the jury saw through it, sentencing her to life in prison. She died while serving her sentence a few years later.
7- Lindy Chamberlain
In August 1970, tragedy struck at a camping ground near Australia’s Ayer Rock, leaving 10-year-old Azaria Chamberlain dead.
Lindy’s defense? A dingo carried her child off. Azaria’s body was never found. Lindy was found guilty of murder and received a life sentence. Her husband, Michael, received a suspended sentence for being an accessory after the fact. The case was a sensation, with police feeding the media information, complicating matters further. The Chamberlains exhausted every avenue, and Lindy was facing life in jail when Azaria’s jacket was found near an area with a high dingo population. The cause of death remains unclear, but there was enough doubt to exonerate the Chamberlains.
6- Mary Bell
When 10-year-old Mary Bell caused the deaths of two boys aged three and four, the world was shocked. How could someone so young commit such acts? Psychological factors.
Mary Bell was accused of harming the two boys. Under mounting evidence and testimony from her older sister, Anne Bell, the case was clear. Bell had taken their lives and was to be tried for murder. Bell then penned letters of confession to the parents of the victims. Court psychiatrists convinced the jury that Bell was too young to form the intent of murder, and considering her psychological state, she could not be held fully responsible for her actions. Bell was convicted of manslaughter and sent to adult prison due to a lack of juvenile detention facilities. She was released on good behavior twelve years later.
5- Joyce Mitchell
Joyce Mitchell was in prison, yes, but not for breaking the law. Employed by the Clinton Maximum Security Prison as a seamstress, she was just doing her job. Until she decided to break the law.
Joyce gave a drill and hacksaw to two dangerous individuals, Richard Matt and David Sweat, helping them escape prison in a high-profile manner. The fugitives evaded authorities for almost three weeks, culminating in a confrontation that left Matt dead and Sweat wounded and back in custody. Mitchell was planning to meet the men with a getaway car but got cold feet. She was charged with promoting prison contraband and criminal facilitation and sentenced to up to eight years in prison. She was released after five.
4- Sister Ping
Cheng Chui Ping, known as Sister Ping or the mother of snakeheads, was a business figure involved in human smuggling.
During a time when it was lucrative for people to flock to the U.S. from China for better opportunities, Ping decided to make a business of it. She facilitated the movement of as many as 3,000 people into the U.S., for a price, turning Ping into a wealthy international figure. After a collaboration with Hong Kong authorities led to her capture, she was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Ping, once an illegal immigrant herself, eventually died in prison of pancreatic cancer.
3- Ilse Koch
Known as the wife of Col. Karl Koch of the SS and head of the Buchenwald concentration camp, Ilse Koch was involved in systemic atrocities.
Koch is infamous for her role in some of history’s worst crimes, including violence against prisoners. She was tried as a war criminal and received a stiff sentence for her involvement. The Americans, however, during the breakout of the Cold War, released Koch due to politics. Still, she was arrested the same day by the West German authorities, who sentenced her to life in prison. Koch eventually died by suicide in her cell.
2- The San Antonio Four
At the height of the satanic panic, four friends felt the full brunt of what paranoia, fear, homophobia, and our obsession with the Devil could do.
Four Texas women—Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh, and Anna Vasquez—were convicted in 1998 of assaulting two young girls after the alleged victims (who were seven and nine at the time) accused them of attacking them. One of the girls—Ramirez’s nieces—later testified that they lied after being upset about her aunt being a lesbian. The women spent fifteen years behind bars before their release. They had to fight another five years before a judge exonerated them and vacated their convictions.
1- Aileen Wuornos
Captured in the Oscar-winning performance by Charlize Theron in the film *Monster*, Aileen Wuornos was a controversial figure even after her arrest.
Known as one of the most high-profile female offenders in U.S. history, Aileen caused the deaths of six men (possibly seven) between 1989 and 1990. She was arrested and subsequently sentenced to six death sentences a year later. She was executed by lethal injection in 2002, but her time in prison was not without incident. During her time on death row, Wuornos urged the authorities to execute her quickly, suggesting that delaying her execution was pointless as she was unrepentant and would harm again. She also suggested that her prolonged incarceration was a waste of taxpayers’ money.
