“That shit doesn't fly”: Subcultural constraints on prison radicalization

Many observers describe prison subcultures as inherently and irredeemably antisocial. Research directly ties prison subcultures to violence, gang membership, and poor reintegration. In extreme cases, research has also suggested that prison subcultures contribute to incarcerated people joining radical groups or embracing violent extremist beliefs. These claims, however, ignore key differences in the larger cultural and social context of prisons. We examine the relationship between prison subcultures and prison radicalization based on semistructured qualitative interviews with 148 incarcerated men and 131 correctional officers from four western Canadian prisons. We outline several imported features of the prison subculture that make incarcerated people resilient to radicalized and extremist messaging. These features include 1) national cultural imaginaries; 2) the racial profile of a prison, including racial sorting or a lack thereof; and 3) how radicalization allowed incarcerated men and correctional officers to act outside the otherwise agreed-to subcultural rules. Our research findings stress the importance of contemplating broader sociocultural influences when trying to understand the relationship between radicalization and prison dynamics and politics.     

Imprisonment and co-offending: results from a 10-year follow-up study

A recurring question in criminological research is whether prisoners meet new accomplices in prison. This article’s objective is to study co-offending among individuals who have served prison sentences. The frequency of co-offending among individuals who have been in the same prison at the same time will be examined. If gender, age, type of prison, offence type and prior experience of co-offending are significant for this type of co-offending will also be examined. The study population comprised all inmates released from a Swedish prison during a half year in 2001–2002 (n = 3.930). The follow-up period is 10 years. The results show that only 3% of those who have been in the same prison at the same time are suspected of committing offences together subsequent to release. The likelihood of being suspected of committing an offence together following the conclusion of a joint stay in the same prison is higher for those released from a closed prison who are aged 31–40, and who had committed large proportion of their offences together with others prior to the relevant prison sentence. The results suggest that the concept of criminal capital is not important for future co-offending after a joint stay in prison.     

监狱信息化建设价值取向模式与操作支点考量

监狱信息化建设既是国家法制文明建设的重大课题,又是政府信息化建设的重要组成部分。但就监狱的性质和职能而言,促进其安全稳定、提高改造质量,是推进信息化建设的根本追求。从这个意义上讲,监狱的信息化建设的价值取向,应当确立政治和经济这两个基本模式。其价值追求的操作支点,应放在确保安全稳定、提高改造质量、服务和谐社会,实现“少花钱,多办事、办好事、成全事、不出事”等关键选择上。     

深化监狱体制改革促进监狱企业发展

监狱企业是我国监狱改造罪犯工作的重要组成部分,而监狱企业的发展更是监狱体制改革过程中的热点问题。文章在充分调研的基础上,结合辽宁省监狱体制改革的实际情况,从监狱企业的定位、监狱企业的科学管理、监狱企业产业方向调整和监狱企业现代企业制度的建立和规范四个方面,论述了深化监狱体制改革过程中监狱企业的发展问题。     

论监狱职能本质属性的回归及其他

建国后 ,监狱职能出现错位 ,不仅冲击惩罚和改造 ,而且滋生腐败。其原因主要是 :经济发展水平低 ,职能定位不明确 ,理论上的片面性和利益驱动所致。对监狱职能本质属性的认识是一个不断深化的过程 ,学术界曾就此展开了讨论和争鸣。它对我们的启示是 ,应解决好监狱学研究中的有关方法论问题。     

对罪犯改造工作社会化的思考

改造罪犯是一项复杂的社会工程 ,提高改造质量必须走罪犯改造工作社会化的道路。要实现罪犯改造工作社会化 ,就要树立“宗旨意识”等四种意识 ;处理好“罪犯改造工作社会化与监管安全之间的关系”等三个关系 ;做好“整个社会力量”等五方面工作     

The Privatisation of Prisoner Transfer Services in Western Australia. What Can we Learn from the Ward Case?

In 2008, Aboriginal elder Mr Ward died of heat stroke while being transported in the back of a prison van operated by private security company GSL (now G4S). This article will address the role accountability mechanisms can play in improving correctional and custodial services and whether existing oversight frameworks can provide a proper supervision and quality control of private security operators. It will focus on the key reports issued by Western Australia's Inspector of Custodial Services, the independent office to oversee the prisoner transfer system. Another central source of information will be an examination of the report and recommendations handed down by the Western Australian Coroner Alastair Hope in June 2009. The Hope Report details the numerous failings of the system which led to the Ward tragedy. Both GSL and the Western Australian state government had breached a duty of care to Mr Ward. Further, it remains highly problematical having a range of oversight bodies if elected government is able to simply ignore the subsequent advice. Parliament must therefore remain a central part of the system of political accountability.     

关于监狱企业发展劳务经济必要性的探讨

监狱企业产业结构调整是深化监狱体制改革的重要内容．也是发展监狱经济的重要措施。文章从监狱体制改革入手．分析了劳务经济对改造罪犯和提高监狱企业经济效益两个方面的作用、探讨了监狱企业发展劳务经济的必要性。     

关于增强监狱人民警察证据意识问题的探讨

监狱人民警察是否具有较强的证据意识,直接影响着能否正确、公正、公平地执行刑罚和教育改造罪犯的质量和效果.文章就如何增强监狱人民警察的证据意识问题从必要性和增强证据意识等方面进行了探讨.     

Activism and Radicalism in Prison: Measurement and Correlates in a Large Sample of Inmates in Texas

There is considerable speculation that prison plays a role in radicalization. Many individuals involved in acts of political extremism have spent time in prison, adding credibility to such claims. Despite these assertions, there is little empirical evidence regarding the prison-radicalization link because access to prisons is challenging and there are few valid scales of extremism. Studies that do examine a potential link have small sample sizes or select on extremist case studies. The current study draws on interviews conducted with 802 male prison inmates in Texas the week before their release to the community. Inmates were administered the Activism and Radicalism Intention Scale, one of the few validated scales in the extremism literature. A series of structural equation models revealed several important findings. First, we found that the psychometric properties of the modified two factor model of activism and radicalism intentions were largely acceptable among prison inmates, including subgroupings of Latino, white, black, and gang and non-gang-involved inmates. Second, our findings revealed that there was more activism than radicalism intentions among prison inmates, although levels of both were comparable to non-institutional populations. Activism and radicalism intentions were positively related, although this correlation was weaker than in prior studies. Activism should not be substituted for radicalism. Third, our exploratory analysis of concurrent validity identified few multivariate correlates. Group identification—namely, racial and religious groups—was related to both scales, but in opposite directions. Age was negatively, while street-to-prison gang importation was positively, related to radicalism intention. We outline the implications of these findings for research, policy, and practice on activism, radicalization, and prison.