Women's prison is a setting that stands out for how scarce its depictions are... outside of porn, that is. At most, only expect a vague allusion, but the instances where the lives of female inmates are featured are vanishingly rare in comparison to those of male inmates. And the only thing that most people recall about women's prison is its fetish potential.

In short, women's prisons are hotbeds of... uh... intrigue. For instance, if there's a female detective character, it's practically a law that she be sent to prison undercover or be wrongly accused and temporarily incarcerated at least once.

Still, an unfortunate effect of Most Writers Are Male is that most of them have never been to a women's prison, nor do they know what life is really like inside of it. The lack of realistic depictions may be because male inmates aren't allowed in. It may be because female offenders are considered less violent, dangerous and despicable than male offenders, and therefore less worthy of true-to-life scrutiny — never mind that being in prison means they are ostensibly guilty of at least one crime. It almost certainly involves a downplaying of violence between female inmates, possibly subconsciously, because acknowledging the violence would require treating the loss of female life in the same way as loss of male life. It may be because women are incarcerated in fewer numbers. Or it may even be because they just didn't bother with research.

But, let's face it, the lack of realistic depictions happens because many writers assume women's prisons are a lesbian porn heaven. In sharp contrast to men's prisons, women's prisons are always believed to be a fetish station where women learn to be intimate with one another (which doesn't involve rape at all, oh no). And of course, female guards partake joyfully in it as well as any male staff lucky enough to work in this palace of pleasure! It also goes without saying that the women are no older than mid-30s, and are beautifully feminine, except perhaps for a few tough dominant ones who run the joint and initiate newcomers into the lesbian prison environment. Depending on how dirty-minded the audience is, and the time slot, this may result in a sort of Chekhov's Gun scenario as the audience expects... action. In a movie or late-night cable TV show, there will be at least one Shower Scene or strip-search.

Needless to say, the above description is purely fantasy and NOT Truth in Television, except maybe for the shower scenes and the nude searches, which also happen in men's prisons. Artistic License – Prison will be in full force. In Real Life, women's prisons are populated with the same ilk as the men's: convicted felons who run the full gamut of age, body type, appearance, and potential for violence. Just because they're women doesn't mean they are more peaceful and gentle. The daily fight for dominance also applies there, catfights tend to involve the use of shivs, and the Alpha Bitches are just as ruthless and physically violent as Alpha Dogs in men's prisons, especially to newcomers who happen to be younger and prettier than them. In an all-female setting, beauty is a hindrance, not an asset. Also, just like in men's prisons, sexual violence—at the hands of corrections staff as well as fellow prisoners—is a very real and constant threat. And if the rapist is a man, there's the additional risk of an inmate becoming pregnant at the worst possible time and place.

One character unique in this setting is the Prison Matron. Any jail that houses female inmates will have at least one female officer whose job is to see to gender-specific needs, such as performing strip searches, supervising medical care, and otherwise ensuring that an inmate is never left alone with a male staff member. Beyond that, the matron's duties vary based on the time period and jurisdiction, but she's the highest female authority in the prison and either works alongside the warden or is the warden-equivalent. She will visually resemble the Apron Matron unless the setting is pornographic, in which case she'll be beautiful (but still middle-aged) and not above engaging in sexual shenanigans with her charges.

This trope is a case of Situational Sexuality to pander to the audience. Might be used as an Excuse Plot for a Sweeps Week Lesbian Kiss. May contain offensive tropes like Double Standard: Rape, Female on Female. The presence of The Queenpin among the inmates is often telltale of a rare Darker and Edgier take on the trope as this kind of character is usually not that fond of other women.

This is also a Super-Trope with the same basic genre elements being transported to a number of different prison-like settings or more specific types of prison, such as reform schools or "jungle prison", even coining unique terms for the sub-genre, like Nunsploitation or Nazisploitation. Typically this means a change of costume or scenery, but little else.

Compare Prison Rape and Wondrous Ladies Room (another trope whose fallaciously ideal depiction of women is due to Most Writers Are Male).

See also: Chained Heat, Forced Prize Fight.

Examples: