Conclusion

This monograph offers more than just a description of experiencesexperiences of leadership of those who are detained. Through collaborationcollaboration and co-authorshipco-authorship, it draws on unique testimonies to revisit key assumptions about the meaning and categorisation of what counts as ‘a leader’, why leadership matters, and what role prisoner leaders play in the articulation of punishment and rehabilitationrehabilitation behind bars. While distinct in their approaches and findings, all chapters challenge traditional narratives or views on what it means to be a leader inside prison. Mundill and Emily reject the notion that female prisonersfemale prisoners are solely vulnerable, Donna and Michael highlight the underexplored aspect of self-leadershipself-leadership in prison workprison work, Morwenna and Femi critique hierarchical leadership models in favour of more horizontal relationships, Caragh, Ozzie, Olga, and Nico underscore the value of prisoner leadershipprisoner leadership to calm, rather than infuse, violenceviolence, Vlad and Stephen uncover the appeal of prisoner leadership in drug treatmenttreatment, encompassing informal rehabilitativerehabilitative roles, and Ben and Kimmett call into question the stigmatising assimilation of Black leadership into the singular negativenegative depiction of gang membership. Overall, each contribution challenges the conventional wisdom that classifies and characterises prisoners according to their risk (perceived or otherwise) or their vulnerabilityvulnerability. Prisoner leadership, we suggest, offers a new prism to transcend this rather reductive binary and character-based categorisation and opens new grounds to focus on agencyagency and positivepositive growth behind bars.