Making Sense of Imprisonment

Abstract

The literature on prison effects is characterised by a focus on negative outcomes. There is a need to acknowledge individual differences. The theme of posttraumatic growth emerged in a subsample of interviews from a study on psychological adjustment in prison. The narratives of this subsample (six female, first-time prisoners) were used to explore the phenomenon of posttraumatic growth during imprisonment. It is argued that the initial shock of incarceration challenged these prisoners' assumptive worlds, but they managed to overcome this crisis by finding meaning in the prison experience and using it as an opportunity for personal development. This facilitated a positive reconstruction of their identity. The potential implications of posttraumatic growth for desistance are discussed.

Posttraumatic Growth in Sex Offenders

“…After scrutinizing databases such as PsycInfo and Google Scholar, we did not find any articles that report on quantitative analysis regarding posttraumatic growth among offenders, except for a few studies focusing on political prisoners and prisoners of war. This is remarkable, particularly because the limited qualitative studies available, as well as some theoretical papers, suggest that both the committed offence and incarceration can challenge the offenders’ global meanings and prompt a profound search for meaning (Braswell & Wells, 2014; Ferrito, Vetere, Adshead, & Moore, 2012; Guse & Hudson, 2014; Mapham & Hefferon, 2012; Maruna, Wilson, & Curran, 2006; Ronel & Elisha, 2011; Ronel & Segev, 2014; van Ginneken, 2014).…”

“…In van Ginnenken’s (2014) study, six female prisoners were interviewed about their current prison experience. They each experienced posttraumatic growth after coping with the initial entry shock of being imprisoned.…”

Désistement assisté en contexte formel : une étude de la portée

“…Elles montrent que des mécanismes complexes entrent en jeu durant ces phases, marquées par des perturbations dans la vie quotidienne, la perte de repères et une grande ambivalence (voir Healy, 2012 ;King, 2014). Cette phase peut même constituer un facteur de risque de victimisation pour les personnes incarcérées (Stevens, 2012 ;van Ginneken, 2016 ;Vanhooren, Leijssen et Dezutter, 2017). Ainsi, pour les justiciables, retourner à ses anciennes habitudes peut paraître moins difficile que de se désister (Halsey et al, 2017 ;Healy, 2012 ;King, 2014).…”

“…(Healy, 2012, p. 388) L'assistance formelle au carrefour des changements cognitifs et identitaires Éventuellement, la plupart des désisteurs en devenir se retrouvent entre deux mondes : ils ne se perçoivent pas comme des citoyens ni comme des contrevenants (F. -Dufour et Brassard, 2014). L'aide formelle gagnerait donc à mettre l'accent sur la (re)construction des scripts narratifs afin de faciliter cette transition d'un monde à l'autre (Blagden et al, 2016 ;F.-Dufour et Brassard, 2014 ;Halsey et al, 2017 ;Harris, 2014 ;Panuccio et al, 2012 ;Radcliffe et Hunter, 2016 ;Ricciardelli, 2018 ;Stevens, 2012 ;van Ginneken, 2016 ;Vanhooren et al, 2017) :…”

It Depends on the Situation: Women’s Identity Transformation in Prison, Jail, and Substance Abuse Treatment Settings

“…Upon imprisonment, individuals experience various forms of deprivation. Sykes' (1958) study found that incarcerated men faced particular hardships, such as separation from loved ones, deprivation of needed resources, and loss of freedom. Living in confinement with antisocial others and supervision by antagonistic staff presents substantial barriers to developing a prosocial future life script and ultimately desisting from crime (Irwin & Owen, 2005).…”