Conclusion: Prison Managerialism and Future Directions

Managerialism has become the hegemonic approach in English prisons, including an infrastructure of targets, audits and assertive line management, combined with the use of HR practices to nurture compliant corporate citizens. The practices of management have altered as well as the professional identity and habitus of prison managers. The interaction between the global practices of managerialism and the local culture of prisons created a distinctive form of ‘prison managerialism’. Many managers found managerialism empowering but over time the deleterious effects have become more apparent including ineffectiveness and moral blindness. This chapter proposes an alternative to managerialism. This approach would develop craft-based leadership, featuring enhanced agency, authority, and appreciation of the local context. There should be a rebalancing of power from the centre with greater emphasis on a localised sense of place. Finally, reforming measurement, scrutiny and accountability, to develop approaches that engage with lived experiences and reflect what is meaningful in the local context.