Prisonization Revisited: Understanding Identity Work During and After Incarceration

Beskrivelse

This study revisits prisonization, a concept describing how inmates adapt to prison life by internalizing its norms, values, and routines, which impacts their behavior, self perception, and relationships both during and after incarceration. Deep internalization of prison culture can complicate reintegration into society, affecting identity and social functioning. Despite substantial literature on reentry and desistance that highlights the societal barriers inmates face post-release, few studies have applied these insights to refine prisonization theory. This study aims to do so, with a particular focus on identity work. Drawing on over 250 interviews with inmates, former inmates, and prison staff in Denmark, the study examines how identity work evolves over time, shaped by prison dynamics and structural challenges during incarceration and reintegration. Two primary forms of prisonization are identified: ‘classic’ prisonization, which includes the social
and psychological adaptation processes inmates undergo, and ‘material’ risonization, stemming from societal barriers like criminal records, unemployment, debt, and stigma. These two forms interact, creating a dual process that perpetuates experiences of control, social deprivation, isolation, and exclusion for inmates and former inmates, significantly impacting their identity work. The findings are discussed within the desistance and reentry literature, emphasizing the complex relationship between identity transformation and the internal and external barriers inmates and former
inmates face. The study concludes that a nuanced understanding of prisonization - both during incarceration and after release - is crucial for fostering positive identity work among inmates and former inmates, ultimately facilitating their reintegration and reducing recidivism.

Periode	21 jan. 2025
Begivenhedstitel	Forum for Kriminologisk Forskning i Danmark konference
Begivenhedstype	Konference
Placering	København, DanmarkVis på kort
Grad af anerkendelse	National