Abstract
Using the concept of institutional thoughtlessness, this article examines a range of issues embedded within daily prison life which have a detrimental effect upon the lives of those bereaved during a prison sentence. Drawing on in-depth qualitative research undertaken with bereaved prisoners, staff members and volunteers at a male prison in the North of England, the article explores how individual and institutional goals compete, compounding bereavement experiences and the management of grief. Findings demonstrate the tension between the policies and protocols prisons are tasked to follow, and unintended consequences for the individually bereaved. This article illuminates the need for far greater understanding of bereavement in the prison population and explores how a universal life experience can be particularly debilitating within the prison setting with the potential to exacerbate what is often cumulative loss among prisoners.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 150-170 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | Criminology and criminal justice |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 24 Jun 2020 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The first author received a PhD scholarship from the University of Hull.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2020.
Keywords
- Bereavement
- excessive grief
- prison regime
- prison staff
- prisoner