Carcerality and Carceral Spaces

The process of incarceration, as a response to violence, in itself represents a violent act of abstraction wherein an individual is forcibly removed from their host social network and transferred to a new setting. This process can be traumatic – and unsurprisingly prison populations experience significant levels of mental distress in comparison to the wider community. Factors driving this distress are numerous and include inequality, drug use, and the prison environment itself. Prisons as institutions – or “total institutions” – have been widely studied in the sociological literature. Prisons emerge as sites of restriction, retribution, rehabilitation, and potentially redemption. Understanding the range of factors and dynamics that inform the psychosocial milieu within prisons is essential to better recognizing the role of these institutions – both for prisoners and wider society. In this chapter I will begin with an overview of the theoretical work that has been undertaken in terms of understanding prisons as institutions (e.g., Foucault, Goffman), before addressing the dynamic processes that may inform group identity and processes within such settings. The particular architecture of prison settings, and its impact on the contained psychosocial milieu, will be discussed. Finally, the ethical implications of prisons as sites of punishment, practice, and research will be considered. In particular, the role of researchers and practitioners as witnesses versus agents for change will be discussed. A focus on practice and experience in England and Wales is maintained for most of this discussion.