Prison Work and Leadership Creation: A Path Laid with Meaning Making

Contemporary culture valorises leadership skills in the workplace and the development of these skills. In prison, work during custody is mandated as part of the daily regime, seen by prison leaders and policymakers as fundamental to successful resettlement post-release. Despite the emphasis on work inside the gates and in contrast to the ubiquitous treatment of leadership skills in employment outside of the prison estate, very little is known about imprisoned work, and next to nothing about its relationship with individual leadership skills. This chapter seeks to remedy this. Using a collaborative methodology, we examine the literature on imprisoned work and leadership, and then present and analyse a lived-experience account of imprisoned work and leadership. We discuss the implications by reflecting on the current rendering of work during custody as part ‘purposeful activity’ by HMPPS. Our analysis leads us to suggest that ‘purposeful activity’ provision in prisons requires a rethinking in which leadership skills although currently unacknowledged could be activated towards more meaningful work, which in turn may generate more likelihood of desistance.