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It perpetuates the inequalities of the outside world. They anticipate and prepare for the systemic impediments that come their way, in prison and after release.īut the current prison system is not designed to promote positive transformation. They engage in the introspective work required to obtain and maintain social sources of support, including family relationships and employment opportunities. They are less inclined to wait for others to “save” them. They largely rely on themselves to hold up their efforts to desist from crime and achieve growth, and proactively seek out opportunities that may support them in this process. They do not postpone their process of transformation to after release. They acknowledge their share of responsibility in the harm that they have caused to others, and to themselves. They use past trauma and adversity as an opportunity to learn, heal, and grow. Individuals who make progress in giving up harmful behaviors (including crime) eventually cease to avoid their pain and dive deep into an exploration of their suffering. Positive transformation in prison is possible, but it requires an inordinate amount of motivation, willpower and resilience Individuals who experienced physical and sexual abuse often grapple with anxiety and depression, feeling unsafe, a sense of discomfort with situations that are outside of their control (which are frequent occurrences in the prison environment), and troubled interactions with others. The legacy of pre-prison trauma is significant. Almost one-third of prisoners reported having been victims of sexual assault or attempted sexual assault before prison. These events have frequently generated fear, helplessness, or horror-indicating a particularly high potential for PTSD. On average, they reported approximately eight different types of traumatic incidents, and most of these experiences occurred on more than one occasion. All participants experienced at least one victimization incident prior to prison. More than a third of the prisoners in the study were placed in foster care during childhood or adolescence. Many prisoners were exposed to significant adverse circumstances early in their lives. However, individuals hardly enter prison with “clean slates.” When we speak of prison and trauma, we often refer to the traumatic experience of imprisonment. The root cause of sustained violence is unresolved trauma and suffering Given the restrictive nature of the prison environment, misconduct and rule violations tend to be ubiquitous, and may not provide the best indicator of desistance efforts. Ironically, these infractions may also result in parole denial. Individuals may engage in disciplinary conduct to maintain social ties, or to access legitimate resources that would facilitate a smoother transition to the outside world.
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While prison misconduct has been linked to recidivism and remains one of the guiding criteria in parole decisions, we often ignore the circumstances underlying the misbehaviors. This is also true in the context of desistance from crime in prison. Prison misconduct doesn’t always indicate a heightened risk of recidivismĭesistance researchers have often argued that the process of desistance from crime is far more than the mere absence of recidivism. Here are some key takeaways from my longitudinal research of 50 long-term prisoners. In this spirit, a recent study I published sought to understand how some individuals succeed in achieving positive transformation over the course of a long prison sentence, and under seemingly impossible circumstances. More importantly, it offers very little guidance to the millions of men and women who find themselves locked up across the world.
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Desistance from crime, broadly defined as the process leading to the abandonment of criminal behavior, has seldom been studied inside prison walls.įocusing solely on the negative repercussions of imprisonment helps us understand what not to do, but it does not tell us how can we do things better. Research and policies have particularly overlooked prisoners serving long or life sentences. For this reason, it is essential to turn (at least part of) our attention to the well-being of the men and women who find themselves behind bars. Despite valiant efforts to reimagine justice and reduce our over-reliance on incarceration, the notable increases in imprisonment rates that occurred over nearly four decades are unlikely to be reversed overnight. There are 2.3 million individuals held in our prisons and jails in the United States. The scarcity of research in this area may be due to the concern that this type of work would be interpreted as an endorsement of imprisonment. There is an abundance of evidence on the negative consequences of incarceration, but what is less understood is how individuals can thrive and change for the better in prison.