(Dis)trusted outsiders: conducting ethnographic research on prison settings

Abstract

This article aims to contribute to the growing body of literature that critically reflects on the practical, ethical and relational challenges raised by conducting research in prison. Basing our work on three different studies developed in Portuguese prison settings, we develop an intersectional understanding of building (dis) trust in prison settings by reflecting upon researchers' characteristics and relational dynamics with people in the field, whether they are professionals or prisoners.

Leveraging identity to overcome temporal and financial limitations in rapid ethnography in criminological research

“…Fieldwork in the fourth neighbourhood, which was in Karachi, was cut short when Nauman received threats from a local gang who thought he was there on the police's behalf. In this case, Nauman was unable to shed the untrusted outsider label; a researcher who had grown up in the area may have been better positioned to manage this issue (Gomes & Granja, 2021).…”

“…To examine how qualitative methodologies unfold in the field under temporal and financial constraints, especially in reference to identity and positionality, and elements that affect access (Baser & Toivanen, 2018;Bucerius, 2013;Gomes & Granja, 2021), we present three distinct, rapid ethnographies, undertaken by three different researchers (Aqil, 2020;Gundur, 2022;Petrich, 2019). Rapid ethnographies (Baines & Cunningham, 2013;Millen, 2000), also referred to as "quick ethnographies" (Handwerker, 2001), are long-established in the literature as a qualitative methodology distinct from conventional ethnographies.…”

Entering Without Breaking: Challenges and Strategies of the Qualitative Criminologist Investigating Carceral Spaces

“…In France, for example, while the European Union General Data Protection Regulation has established the importance of research ethics and scientific integrity, ethics committees are still rare. The prison field can be accessed with a simple authorization granted by the administration of the institution, similar to Portugal, as discussed by Gomes & Granja (2021). In Quebec, two authorisations are needed to conduct research within carceral institutions.…”

“…Immersing oneself in the environment as much as possible (as qualitative methodology recommends) and facilitating the research requires the implementation of an integration process that is not simple, especially in a low-trust carceral environment, characterised by strong antagonism between its actors and where the process of gaining trust is not an easy one (Drake & Harvey, 2014;Gomes & Granja, 2021).…”

“…Whether in literature or through the questions considered by novice researchers, the carceral setting stands out as a fieldwork site that, fascinating though it may be, is difficult to apprehend. More and more academics are opening up about their personal experiences of prison research, addressing the various challenges encountered in gaining access to carceral spaces (Piché, 2012;Ellis, 2021b), conducting research inside them (Schlosser, 2008;Drake & Harvey, 2014), building trust with participants (Gomes & Granja, 2021), managing and negotiating the researcher identity (Rowe, 2014) or all these aspects at once (Gomes & Duarte, 2018). To identify the systemic problems inherent in research conducted in a carceral environment, and understand the issues it raises on the organisational and individual levels, and then suggest possible solutions (or circumvention strategies), this article explores the general experience of research in a closed custody facility, by understanding the investigated field site from the perspective of the concept "carceral space."…”