Challenging oppressive practices – in any
environment – is a difficult task. Doing
so for people who are labelled as dangerous or violent can feel
impossible. My interest in the
experiences of long-term prisoners evolved over a number of years, beginning
first with researching ex-prisoners returning to society after long term prison
in Canada and then continuing as I conducted ethnographic research in men’s
maximum-security prisons in England.
Over the course of this work, I gradually came to understand the
severity of harm inflicted on people through practices of imprisonment. The loss of liberty is an extreme form of
punishment that, nevertheless, can be very difficult to fully appreciate unless
you have experienced it or had the opportunity to observe it close-up, over a
lengthy period of time. Additionally,
custodial confinement and the maintenance of ordered prison regimes necessarily
translate into oppressive routines, practices and interpersonal relationships
(e.g. consider the Zimbardo experiments).
 |
| Tapping and Reflection - HMP Long Lartin Original image found at Koestler trust |
The research on which this article reports,
attempted to engage directly with some of the inherent problems of
imprisonment. Conducted in three
maximum-security prisons in England, the research attempted to incorporate
action research-inspired dimensions to facilitate opportunities for prison
officers to better understand the ‘pains of imprisonment’ from the perspectives
of prisoners. In some respects, the
project was an attempt to try to challenge the system from within. It aimed to disrupt existing practices enough
to allow staff to question the way they were working. The challenges and limitations of the project
were numerous. But there were also
modest ‘successes’ in the moments when the officers with whom I was working
began to fundamentally question their own practices or the more inflexible
aspects of prison officer culture.
Whilst the project, ultimately, ended prematurely and thus did not lead
to successful systemic change, the research demonstrated the powerful capacity
for change that an action research approach can inspire.
My experience of this project, coupled with
my continued concern over the inherently harmful practice of imprisonment have
led me to consider other possible ‘ways in’ to the criminal justice system in
order to challenge the status quo. In my
view, the most likely means of opening up new possibilities is through expanded
and sustained action research approaches.
A fundamental principle of action research is to aim to create spaces of
possibilities through collaboratively designed and enacted methods. In a prison or criminal justice context, this
may best be achieved through mobilising third sector groups, engaging in activism
with prisoners and prisoners’ families or victims and their lobby groups and,
crucially, through further work with prison staff and criminal justice
authorities.
You can access this article for free by using this
link.
After you’ve had a chance to read this piece, please share your
thoughts, ideas, or experiences with our community so we can continue this
discussion! The AR+ site is hosting a discussion forum for us to talk about our reactions and experiences related this topic. You can access it here. A quick (and free) registration is all that's needed to join the discussion.
Posts
