Soft power in prison: Implications for staff–prisoner relationships, liberty and legitimacy

Abstract

As penal power has been transformed in recent years, so too have relationships between prisoners and staff. This article discusses how these relationships are forged by the terms of ‘neo-paternalism’, focusing in particular on what is labelled ‘soft power’. It describes some of the impediments that hinder the development of closer relationships between prisoners and uniformed staff. It explores the implications of soft power for the prison’s interior legitimacy, and discusses soft power in relation to the culture of uniformed staff.

Understanding service users’ and therapists’ experiences of pharmacological treatment for sexual preoccupation and/or hypersexuality in incarcerated sex offenders

“…In addition, increased knowledge of the pharmacological methods available may help to reduce the rumours that circulate and cause concern among prisoners (see staff sub-theme 1.1). As the first point of call to a prison's services and given their daily contact with offenders, prison officers may play a crucial role in the pharmacological referral process (Crewe, 2011).…”

Officers and Drug Counsellors: New Occupational Identities in Nordic Prisons

“…Clearly, the drug treatment wings are isolated enclaves within a larger prison regime. Furthermore, as these wings attract those officers already committed to rehabilitative work, the ordinary wings may be left with the less rehabilitationoriented officers (Crewe 2011).…”

“…The collective power of officers has vanished, and the 'old' more abrasive element of officers' culture (as for instance found in Tait's research, see above) has disappeared (however, see : Sim 2008). Instead of the traditional 'hard power', the argument is that prisoners are now controlled by a 'soft power' that provides them a pseudo-autonomous space allowing prisoners to govern their own conduct, engage positively with the regime, and accept responsibility for failing to do so (Crewe 2011). Therefore, what looks like a more intimate and relaxed relationship between staff and inmates, according to this argument, is in fact rather artificial, with officers mixing with inmates in the interest of 'dynamic security' and inmates interacting with officers only for instrumental reasons.…”

Drugs and discretionary power in prisons: The officer's perspective

“…Increased focus on individual risk management (Seddon et al, 2012) in which liberal 'soft power' and 'neo-paternalism' play an increasingly important role in officer-inmate relations (e.g. inmates being encouraged to regulate their own behaviour, engage with the prison in a positive way and take responsibility for their own failures) tends to discourage officers from pursuing informal relationships with prisoners (Crewe, 2011).…”