The following study evolved out of a pilot study which I conducted in the summer
of 1995 at a correctional facility in eastern Ontario. The testimony of two volunteer inmates
there led me to the present enquiry: How do inmates experience time, what are their
perceptions of it, and to what extent art making has any impact on those perceptions?
Using the temporal theories of two sociologists, Edward Hall (1983) and Victor Gioscia
(1971), which I illustrated through relevant literary works concerning inmates of long-term
institutions, I sought evidence of alternative temporal constructs in the behavior and
testimonies of the volunteer inmates.
The twelve week case study involved setting up a course of art similar to the one
offered in 1995. This one took place in a medium security correctional facility for men in
the lower mainland of British Columbia, during the summer of 1996. Unlike the pilot
study, which operated during regular school time, the latter study was held during inmates'
leisure time, two evenings a week, for three hours each evening. The following
ethnographic methods of data collection were used: pre-program questionnaires, field
notes, interviews, and document analysis. Thirteen men originally participated in the art
course, of whom, six agreed to be interviewed. Because the art course was canceled midway
through my research, I reconsidered my study, my double role as researcher-teacher,
and the data that I had so far collected, to ponder the dynamics of research and volunteer
programs within the prison bureaucracy.
Evidence of Hall's temporal notions was scant; however, some of the inmates
interviewed indicated negative effects of long-term incarceration that corresponded to
Gioscia's definitions; these men also demonstrated resistance mechanisms through the
practice and mentoring of art and hobbies. As well, prison staff, particularly
administrators, are implicated in the failure of volunteer/adult education program delivery.
Closing reflections support participatory strategies in qualitative research in the light of
postmodern research theory and end with practical and theoretical recommendations. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/5874 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Knight, Graeme |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Format | 9254622 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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