Perspective Of Prisoners Research Articles

Sounds inside: prison, prisoners and acoustical agency

Drawing on a set of first-hand written accounts of imprisonment, this article begins to open up the complexity of prison “soundscapes” from the perspective of prisoners. The accounts suggest that in many respects prisoners are a “captive audience” to the sonic environment in which they are held. They are subjected to a variety of sounds that they have limited capacity to avoid or control. But prisoners are not entirely deprived of “acoustical agency”. The sources indicate that prisoners actively draw on listening and sound-making in a diversity of ways as they negotiate prison life. For instance, they may be alert to the sonic presences of prison staff and other prisoners, engage in “window-to-window communication” or shouting between cells, listen intently to the verbal exchanges of others in order to gather information about events unfolding inside the prison, seek refuge from noise in quiet areas and use music to stimulate and manage particular affective states. The article argues that a sonic perspective prompts a move away from a consideration of prison environments as dominated and determined solely by prison authorities, pointing to the active role played by prisoners themselves in shaping the sonic space they inhabit. It also points to conflicts of acoustical agency as constituting a major source of tension between prisoners. Understanding the ways in which acoustical agency is exercised in the prison setting is shown to be integral to comprehending the experience of imprisonment and the complexity of social interaction inside prisons.

Propaganda, ideology, and democracy: A review of Jason Stanley, How Propaganda Works

Propaganda, ideology, and democracy: A review of Jason Stanley, <i>How Propaganda Works</i>

Editor's Welcome to the Inaugural Issue of the Journal of Prison Education &amp; Reentry

Dear reader: It is with great pride we present this first issue of Journal of Prison Education and Reentry. This marks the end of an extensive period of preparations, following the recognition of a need for an independent, open access, and widely available platform for exchange of research and brilliant ideas for best practice in prison education and reentry. We greet the birth of the journal with expectations of a long and prosperous life. It is also with pride that we present this first issue of the journal on the anniversary of the Council of Europe’s adoption of the recommendations concerning prison education. This is our ultimate support for the International Day of Prison Education. Much of what happens in prison is out of the public’s view. Global social and economic events—such as massive refugee movements and the collapse of financial markets—have profound impacts on the world inside prisons. It is hard to sort out the effects these have on prison education and reentry policies and programs. Frequently, educators in prisons work in challenging situations, often having few colleagues with whom to share their experiences and who can offer support. The call for proof beyond doubt that “it works” is louder than ever, and the search for “evidence based practice” is permeating prison education. Therefore, it is necessary for researchers and practitioners to share their knowledge and experience, and to collaborate in the quest for establishing the criteria that will define “best practice”. However, it is also necessary at times to critique the standards movement itself, especially when the complexities of the systems we work within and research have conflicting purposes and missions. We sincerely hope JPER can yield a small, but significant, contribution to this work and dialogue. JPER accepts different categories of submissions. For the Research Section, we accept submissions of original research, and all submissions are subjected to a rigorous peer review process before a final decision of publication is met. For the Practitioner Section, the submissions are assessed by the Section Editor and her assistant, in addition to the Lead Editor. For the Features Section, all submissions are assessed by the Lead Editor. In this first issue of JPER, we present four original research contributions, in addition to some very important and readable discussions of practice in prison education. The first research article, written by Kariane Westrheim and Terje Manger, presents results from an interview study among prisoners originating in Iraq, but incarcerated in Norway. Analyses of educational needs and approval of qualifications among prisoners who have been educated in a different educational system is a great challenge. The paper offers insights into the education of Iraqi prisoners in Norway, but also presents a methodological approach to assessment of educational needs in atypical subsamples of learners. The second paper, written by Cormac Behan, similarly presents results of an interview study among prisoners, but his study applies a more open-ended approach, and starts by examining the motives for taking up education and continues to explore the functions of education from the perspectives of prisoners in Ireland. His conclusions are very much worth considering: prison education needs to distinguish itself from rehabilitation programmes and stand on the integrity of its profession, based on principles of pedagogy, rather than be lured into the evaluative and correctional milieu of modern penalty. We are also proud to present the first part of a two-part paper by Randall Wright, where he is using normalization theory to discuss various forces that shape prison-student identities. ‘Performative spaces’ and ‘identity closure’ are used to explore the identity work that occurs in schools and elsewhere in prisons, and how this helps to explain how education can facilitate reentry. Finally, Susan Hopkins invites a discussion on the teaching of incarcerated tertiary students in the digital age and some of the dilemmas of higher education in prisons. For the Practitioners Section, we have received a substantial number of submissions that are worth your time to read. We have themed the first issue around several papers describing aspects of establishing college programs in prisons along with an introduction by our Editor for practitioners’ papers, Anne Costelloe. We have “Fluorescent Glow” by Micol Hutchinson, who tells her story of teaching English as a second language in a

Re-framing the Analysis: A 3-dimensional Perspective of Prisoners’ Children's Well-being

This article highlights three dimensions to understanding children's well-being during and after parental imprisonment which have not been fully explored in current research. A consideration of ‘time’ reveals the importance of children's past experiences and their anticipated futures. A focus on ‘space’ highlights the impact of new or altered environmental dynamics. A study of ‘agency’ illuminates how children cope within structural, material and social confines which intensify vulnerability and dependency. This integrated perspective reveals important differences in individual children's experiences and commonalities in broader systemic and social constraints on prisoners’ children. The paper analyses data from a prospective longitudinal study of 35 prisoners’ children during and after their (step) father's imprisonment to illustrate the arguments.

An interpretative phenomenological analysis of prisoners’ experience of riotous behaviour in an adult male prison

Purpose – Prison violence generates much public interest with concerns for the financial costs, staff safety and public safety. The purpose of this paper is to explore the experience of riotous behaviour from the perspective of prisoners in a maximum secure adult prison. It also seeks gather information and to generate discussion on areas for future research. Design/methodology/approach – A purposive sampling method and in-depth semi-structured interviews were carried out. Interpretative phenomenological analysis identified super ordinate themes and related sub-themes within the participants’ narratives. Emergent themes were then considered in relation to the theories and concepts that underpinned and connected them. Findings – Super ordinate themes emerged centred around the subject of social processing and relationships. Prisoners emphasised the role of prisoner-staff relationships in feeling valued as part of the social structure and considered riotous behaviour the best method of communication at that time. Social comparison highlighted the value they placed in being part of the prisoner culture and the nostalgic nature of the riotous behaviour for them. It lends support to earlier theory on prison adjustment and social psychological explanations for rioting. Research limitations/implications – It is not assumed that the findings of this study can be universally applied given the sample size and the idiosyncratic nature of participants’ experiences. This research may provide greater insight into the motivational factors related to individuals involved in riotous behaviour. With such insight prison staff may be more able to consider whether prisoners’ needs are being sufficiently met to help prevent such behaviour in the future. Practical implications – This research may help inform training on the identification and management of potential riots. With insight into the individual motivational factors prison staff may be more able to consider whether prisoners’ needs are being sufficiently met to help prevent such behaviour in the future. Originality/value – This paper reports on the prisoners’ individual experience of being involved in riotous behaviour. Due to the paucity of literature on this behaviour, this exploratory study is intended to add to existing knowledge.

Researching prisoner experiences with prison officers: An action research-inspired approach

This article reports on research that incorporated action research-inspired dimensions on a project conducted in three maximum-security prisons in England. The project was aimed at collecting ethnographically informed data on prisoner experiences, at developing a method by which such data could be systematically and routinely collected by prison staff and at facilitating opportunities for prison officers to understand the ‘pains of imprisonment’ from the perspectives of prisoners. The challenges and limitations of the project are discussed, with particular reference to the paradox of participation and the role of power relations within prisons and within the research process. It is suggested that despite the inherent difficulties of attempting a participative approach with more powerful actors, facilitating change on a larger scale may be best served by developing a ‘pedagogy of the oppressors’ alongside a ‘pedagogy of the oppressed’.

The Impact of Grendon on Changing Lives: Prisoner Perspectives

Abstract: This article brings together published and unpublished material that documents prisoners' experiences of Grendon in their words. This covers the period from shortly after Grendon opened in 1962 to the present day. Issues to be looked at are the pre‐admission procedure, reasons for applying to Grendon, the reception process and life on the assessment and induction unit. The challenges of living on the main therapeutic communities (TCs) will be described. How staff relationships at Grendon differ from those in other establishments will be explained. Also described will be the experiences of those who did not transfer onto one of the five main TCs within Grendon as well as those who found that Grendon was not for them. What is apparent throughout is the similarity of prisoner experiences from the time Grendon opened until the present day.

Prisoner perspectives on mental health problems and help-seeking

Little is known about how prisoners perceive mental health problems or prospective sources of help. Applying a personal construct psychology approach, interviews were conducted with 12 adult male prisoners. Information from these interviews was used to construct a dependency grid, with problem situations on one axis, and possible help-sources on the other. A questionnaire containing this grid was completed by 177 prisoners. Recorded intentions to seek help from different sources varied considerably depending on the problem. Reasons given for help-source choice included the expected response, trust issues and perceived source skill level. Older participants recorded intentions to use a significantly narrower range of help-sources (χ2 (4, n = 168) = 9.57, p = 0.048) and greater intentions to use more formal help sources (χ2 (4, n = 162) = 12.73, p = 0.013). The study highlighted the importance of both formal and informal sources of help for mental health problems in prison, and suggested ways in which support might be improved.

Health needs of prisoners in England and Wales: the implications for prison healthcare of gender, age and ethnicity

This paper aims to provide evidence of the healthcare needs of prisoners in relation to gender, age and ethnicity, drawing from a larger systematic overview of the policy and research literature concerning primary care nursing in prisons in England and Wales. The literature overview shaped the initial stages of a research project funded by the Department of Health to examine the views and perspectives of prisoners and nurses working in prisons, and to identify good primary care nursing in the prison environment. At total of 17 databases were searched using search terms related to primary healthcare in prisons (health, nurs*, primary care, healthcare, family medicine, prison*, offender*, inmate*) with terms truncated where possible in the different databases. Following this, a sifting phase was employed using inclusion/exclusion criteria to narrow and focus the literature perceived as relevant to the research questions. All papers were critically appraised for quality using standardised tools. Findings from the literature overview show that prisoners are more likely to have suffered some form of social exclusion compared to the rest of society, and there are significantly greater degrees of mental health problems, substance abuse and worse physical health in prisoners than in the general population. Women, young offenders, older prisoners and those from minority ethnic groups have distinct health needs compared to the prison population taken as a whole, with implications for the delivery of prison healthcare, and how these needs are met effectively and appropriately.

Prisoner perspectives on managing long term conditions: A qualitative study

This paper explores the perceptions of prisoners to the barriers and opportunities for managing long term conditions in a prison setting. A qualitative study using semi‐structured interviews was conducted with prisoners from two local prisons in England. All the prisoners involved in the study had a long term condition and were attending an Expert Patients Programme (EPP) course, a lay‐led self care programme. A number of themes emerge from the data in relation to the impact prison has had on lifestyle and control of long term conditions. The structured prison regime allowed some to regain control over previously chaotic lifestyles but the lack of access to a healthy diet and exercise facilities as well as lack of opportunities to practice new health behaviours learnt whilst in prison, prevented a healthier lifestyle being adopted. Another main theme was in relation to the ability of prisoners to negotiate access to health care services and professionals. The study found a number of pre‐existing factors which would need to be addressed if prisoners were to become fully engaged in future health initiatives, such as EPP.

Prisoner Perspectives on Inmate Culture in New Mexico and New Zealand: A Descriptive Case Study

Medium security prisoners in two nations provided personal insights into the inmate social systems found in their facilities: Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility is located near New Mexico's border with Mexico; Christchurch Prison is in New Zealand's South Island. Besides personal biographical and sociolegal questions, the inmates in both facilities responded to a series of closed- and open-ended questions about inmate values and norms. The only modification was to cast them in terminology relevant to the prisoners in each facility. In this analysis, the authors turn to three critical dimensions of alleged inmate values. Inmate orientations on qualities or features in others that they respect provide the first focus. The second explores the respect given to a series of 15 different types of criminal offenders. The final focus is the nature and extent of prison code adoption in both facilities. The authors also address several theoretical and practical concerns revealed by these analyses.

Alternatives to Current HIV/AIDS Policies and Practices in South African Prisons

Prisoners in South Africa face problems of overcrowding, violence and poor nutrition. Added to this burden in recent times is the increased threat from HIV. The HIV epidemic has been relatively late in coming to South Africa but infection rates are now 20% in the adult population. However, there is no data available on the level of HIV infection in the prison population. Overseas studies suggest that the characteristics of prisoners place them at much greater risk of HIV infection. Factors which contribute to increased levels of HIV infection include poor health care facilities, lack of condoms and lack of disinfectants. Current policies and practices on HIV in prison attempt to balance the constraints of limited resources with the need to preserve prisoner human rights. The outcomes include: mass testing not freely available, HIV education is limited, and early release of prisoners with advanced AIDS is not allowed. Constraints on the implementation of effective HIV prevention strategies include: bureaucratic inefficiency, lack of resources, and a reluctance by prison authorities to address the issue of HIV in prison. These problems can possibly be overcome by addressing the issue from both management and prisoner perspectives. On the management side, increased resources, increased training of prison officials, and increased political commitment to address the issue are required. Outside partnerships are probably required for an effective response. Prisoners require better nutrition, better living conditions, better health care, freely available condoms and disinfectants.

The Re-integration Process from the Perspective of Prisoners: Opinions, Percieved Value and Participation

In this article the presence of the rehabilitation goal in the policy of the prison system in the Netherlands will be discussed first. Particular attention will be paid to the question as to why the rehabilitation goal, in spite of the doubtfull status of its impact, still plays a role in the increasing instrumentalist policy of the Dutch criminal justice system. In addition, some limitations of a one-sided 'nothing works' approach of rehabilitation will be discussed. Next, empirical research is examined for what it teaches about the functioning of correctional programmes within the prison system. Special attention will be paid to the attitudes of inmates toward rehabilitation. It will be shown that in spite of a considerable body of research on institutional adaptation, little is known about the dynamics between inmates' attitudes and personal, situational and organisational background variables. In addition, the results of a survey, conducted on the nature and sources of inmates' attitudes towards rehabilitation, will be presented. Finally, this article will offer reflections on the benefits of a process-evaluative approach of correctional interventions.