Abstract
Detainees enact a “self” that is faced with the prejudices and stereotypes of the crime for which that detainee was convicted. Of all inmates, sex offenders face the greatest risk of receiving social condemnation alongside their prison sentence. This empirical study worked with 32 male sex offenders over 18 years old that were housed in the “protected” unit of the Due Palazzi. The following analysis explores how these men are required to manage their “self,” hetero-narrations, perception of everyday interactions in the protected unit, and conceptions about the rehabilitation path. Moreover, the detainees’ view on the prison’s strategic opportunities for promoting effective change in their condition and identity are also examined.
 Discourse analysis applied to an open answer questionnaire showed that, rather than facing the stigma assigned to them, the detainees tend to minimize the importance of storytelling and construct alternative biographies to share with other inmates. Managing narratives allows the sex offenders to distance themselves from the perceived threats of living with other detainees; however, it also prevents the re-signification of their offenses. As such, the rules of “secrecy” must be considered by both qualitative researchers who conduct studies in prisons and prison administrators who plan the housing and treatment of sex offenders.
Highlights
Studies investigating imprisonment for sexual offenders have revealed that the label “sex offender”1 can have a significant influence on their experience in prison (Blagden et al 2019; Jewkes, Crewe and Bennett 2016; Ievins and Crewe, 2015)
This study aims to understand how sex offenders perceive themselves within the protected unit, construct relationships with other inmates, and actively socialize by strategically narrating the self
Working from this premise, this study investigates how sex offenders experience prison in the Due Palazzi in northern Italy—how sex offenders experience detention considering other people’s opinions of them, whether sex offenders feel able to share their personal story with another sex offender in the same situation, how sex offenders experience custody in a protected unit, the relationships they have with other inmates, www.crimejusticejournal.com
Summary
Studies investigating imprisonment for sexual offenders have revealed that the label “sex offender” can have a significant influence on their experience in prison (Blagden et al 2019; Jewkes, Crewe and Bennett 2016; Ievins and Crewe, 2015). The most common strategy for protecting their self-image is lying and denying the offenses they have committed (Sampson 1994; Hood et al 2002; Schwaebe 2005; Blagden et al 2011; Jewkes, Crewe and Bennett 2016). Studies exploring how treatment is perceived by sex offenders have reported contrasting findings (Jewkes, Crewe and Bennett 2016); some inmates consider treatment useful (Wakeling et al 2005), while others would avoid it if they could (Langevin 2006). McCartan, Harris and Prescott (2019) reported that people convicted of sexual offenses consider rehabilitative treatment as an extension of the supervision that they experienced in prison, rather than a “tool” to use while in custody. For sex offenders, reporting benefits from treatment in areas such as “taking responsibility for offending” and “victim empathy” could be a strategy for presenting the improvements they believe treatment providers value the most (Jewkes, Crewe and Bennett 2016)
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