This thesis explores the concepts of ‘crime’, justice and punishment through the narratives of male ex‐prisoners. I adopt a critical criminological perspective and seek to humanise those who have been made monstrous by their status as ex‐prisoners by allowing their stories to be heard. I provide a unique examination of ex‐prisoners’ identities and argue that if we allow those who have experienced prison to tell their stories, new theories and counter discourses about prisons and justice can develop. By hearing these stories we are forced to confront the ex‐prisoner ‘other’, and must explain our own fears, disgust, pity, vitriol, but also fascination with those who have been punished. In hearing the stories of the ex‐prisoner ‘other’, we must reflect on what demands for ever harsher penalties, greater restrictions on liberty, disenfranchisement, and the denial of full human rights does: to those whom we focus these pains upon, and on us, as a society, who believe pain is the equivalent of justice. The methodology of the thesis involved life story research with 15 male ex‐prisoners. Utilising intertextuality, myth and mythology, the arc of the ex‐prisoners’ life stories is followed in analysing: life before prison, imprisonment, and life after prison. In doing this, consideration is given to the outlaw identities of the men when they were actively involved in offending, the prison myths that shaped their experience of incarceration, and the mutable identities that they adopt on release. The stories recounted here offer new ways of understanding ‘crime’, justice and imprisonment. They also, I argue, have the power to problematize existing discourses about prisons and punishment, and to open up new possibilities for social justice.

This study was concerned with the differences between two types of prisoners on a personality dimension and differences between these prison groups an a non-prison population. The impetus for this study stemmed from the development of a new test designed to scientifically measure the Freudian concept of the personality structures, the id, ego, and superego.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work / L. Susan Williams / This qualitative study draws from 54 interviews with "lifers" -- those serving 20 years or more -- from three correctional facilities across Kansas; it addresses the stark void in criminological literature about prison culture in the context of late-modern penality. This dissertation explores identity transformation of inmates serving a life sentence, proposing that incarceration represents a new rite of passage for 2.22 million citizens in the US. This inquiry utilizes the concept of liminality to capture the "betwixt and between" component of significant life transitions such as being handed a life sentence. Extending Jewkes' (2002) work on liminality, the study advances and supports the notion of a suspended liminality, an elongated vulnerability to one's sense of self, which, for those serving a long prison sentence, generally occurs during the first five years. Eventually, some lifers are able to rebuild social networks. The process of identity transition reflects an interstitial drift between suspended liminality and prisonization, contingent upon social support, sense of belonging, and forms of hope. Reconsidering the notion of a permanent "social death," this study provides evidence of a social purgatory, yielding a period of chaos and confusion in which the self is in turmoil, engaged in a battle to find meaning and purpose. The analysis employs group interviews, multiple on-site observations, field notes, and a night in solitary confinement; three inmates assisted in the interview design. This dissertation contributes a "thick description" of contemporary life in US prisons and transitions through long sentences that may present barriers to successful reentry.

Background: Since inmates in Canada are excluded from household statistics, very little information is known about obesity prevalence or associated risks in this vulnerable population. This is a problem since obesity rates are high in Canada, and obesity is considered a public health crisis. Furthermore, the burden of obesity is disproportionately carried by low-income, vulnerable and marginalized populations (such as inmates). The goal of this study was to determine weight changes during incarceration in Canadian federal penitentiaries, and to determine which factors were influential at the socio-demographic, behavioral, institutional and policy level. Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort study that used a quantitative approach. The setting for this study was 12 correctional institutions in Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia (or the “Atlantic region”). Administrative data were collected from 1420 inmates, with 754 of these participants also participating in a face to face interview to gather additional data on self-reported behavioral determinants and measured anthropometric data. Eligibility criteria for inmates to participate were: a recorded admission weight in their medical chart, housed in their current institution for at least 6 months, not acutely or terminally ill (and requiring hospitalization), and not pregnant or in a wheelchair. Results: We found that almost three quarters of inmates (73%) gained weight during incarceration. Obesity rates increased by 71%, going from 26.6% to 45.4%. The observed weight gain was associated with the tobacco ban (macrosystem level), the use of commissary store (or “canteen”) (at the microsystem level), and many determinants at the individual level (physical activity, diet, smoking status). The observed weight gain was also significantly associated with age, ethnicity, length of incarceration, duration of total sentence and region. It was however not associated with the national menu, food service/feeding system, sleep, screen time, mental health status or psychotropic medication use. Some inmates who gained excessive weight also developed obesity related illnesses. Interpretation: The observed weight gain was deemed to be unhealthy, since obesity rates increased significantly (and the proportion of inmates with normal weight decreased). These findings have potential repercussions on inmate health, since the observed weight gain was associated with the development of obesity related illnesses. Lastly, many of the factors associated with the observed weight gain were modifiable, which means it is possible to intervene to manage weight gain during incarceration.

Careful review of the literature found prison programs having a positive impact on post-release outcomes in employment and lowered recidivism rates. Most of the literature reviewed found negative effects of mental illness on post-release success. This study expands the literature on prison programming and mental illness by examining the dynamics between mental illness, program completion, and post-release success. Furthermore, this research can be linked to Hirschi's social bond theory, which created a framework to view the relationship between prison programming and increased ties to conventional society through commitment, attachment, and involvement. This study examines the impact of mental illness and prison vocational and educational programming on reentry outcomes (employment rates, length of employment, enrollment in and completion of school, and recidivism) and the relationship between mental illness and program completion. Additionally, the study examines the interactions of mental illness and prison programming on reentry outcomes. The sample consists of male offenders released onto parole in the State of Iowa (N=3426). Vocational training had positive significant effects on employment rates and full-time employment. An additional analysis found a significant indirect relationship between vocational training and recidivism through employment. Mental illness had a negative significant impact on completion of vocational programming, GED classes, and employment outcomes. Furthermore, it was found that having a mental illness significantly increased the likelihood of recidivism. The interaction of mental illness and programming on reentry outcomes did not have a significant impact. However, the interaction of mental illness and vocational programming had a positive significant impact on full-time employment in the opposite direction of prediction. The results inform social work practice and policy on the benefits of prison programming and the negative impact of mental illness on participation in programs and reentry outcomes.

<p>En minskning av återfallen till kriminalitet är en viktig uppgift för kriminalvården. Behandling och återanpassning innan frigivning minskar återfallen men detta återanpassningsarbete har försämrats. Forskning har visat att self-efficacy var viktigt för individer gällande att klara av givna uppgifter. Individer som trodde sig kunna leva ett liv utan kriminalitet och hade mer kontroll återföll i mindre grad. Syftet med studien var bland annat att undersöka om self-efficacy har betydelse för att inte återfalla i en kriminell livsstil. Sju deltagare från föreningen KRIS ingick i en tematiserad intervjustudie där deltagarna också fick svara på två korta enkäter. Resultatet visade att self-efficacy har betydelse för att inte återfalla. Genom ökad self-efficacy kunde deltagarna skapa nya liv med mindre risk för återfall.</p>

<p>This essay considers the new prison in Kalmar, which was built 1852 and replaced the former prison in the castle of Kalmar. In the forts the conditions were awful and the interms lived together in large rooms. With the new reform that took place in Sweden, with the so-called Philadelphiasystem, the concept was to isolate the prisoner one by one in smaller rooms. The idea was to give them a religious ground so they could get themselves a self-reflection and a conscience. It was a new system for the personnel to control the internals and the order in prison.</p>

Thesis (M.A.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1982. / Vita. Abstract. Bibliographical essay: leaves 95-105. Also available via the Internet.

En minskning av återfallen till kriminalitet är en viktig uppgift för kriminalvården. Behandling och återanpassning innan frigivning minskar återfallen men detta återanpassningsarbete har försämrats. Forskning har visat att self-efficacy var viktigt för individer gällande att klara av givna uppgifter. Individer som trodde sig kunna leva ett liv utan kriminalitet och hade mer kontroll återföll i mindre grad. Syftet med studien var bland annat att undersöka om self-efficacy har betydelse för att inte återfalla i en kriminell livsstil. Sju deltagare från föreningen KRIS ingick i en tematiserad intervjustudie där deltagarna också fick svara på två korta enkäter. Resultatet visade att self-efficacy har betydelse för att inte återfalla. Genom ökad self-efficacy kunde deltagarna skapa nya liv med mindre risk för återfall.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether Black men experienced empowerment throughout the process of employment preparation. This study also sought to give voice to this population regarding their experience in this process. A definition of empowerment, posed by Barbara Solomon of “empowerment theory”, was used to understand the process of empowerment the study participants may have experienced. Nine African American male former offenders who had participated in a job readiness program, and are 18 and older, were interviewed about the preparation they received, and how they perceived this training effected their pursuit of agency, employment, and recidivism.