The meaning and use of weapons in an English remand prison

Abstract

Purpose Weapon use is as risky in prison as it is in the community, but the type, use and meaning of weapons differ between these settings. Consequently, knowledge about community-based weapon violence may not generalise to prison contexts. The purpose of this study is to understand the meaning and use of weapons in a prison setting. Design/methodology/approach Using a framework for understanding weapon selection derived from a community setting, six prisoners in a remand setting in England who had a history of weapon possession and use in prison discussed their selection and use of weapons in prison. Findings Respondents described a hyperviolent milieu for some in which access to weapons was essential and wherein the official consequences of weapon carrying were outweighed by the potential costs of victimisation. Weapons served a variety of purposes for prisoners. At the individual level, they reduced the uncertainty of a hyperviolent environment, and they were used to construct and manage a violent identity as an aggressive precaution against victimisation. Originality/value This study develops the literature on weapon decision-making, extending it into a novel setting and addresses a significant gap in the prison research literature about the meaning and utility of weapons in a custodial setting. The use of a community-derived framework for understanding weapon carrying translated well into a prison environment and offers support for the synthesis of community and prison models of violence but distinctive features of the prison environment, such as how weapons are acquired, limits the fit of the model to a prison setting.