Generativity behind bars: Some "redemptive truth" about prison society.

Abstract

One of the remarkable phenomena of our time is the persistence of the belief among those in power that we can coerce people into decent behavior if only we make the punishment tough enough. We keep imagining that the problem is that young people aren't frightened enough, so we keep toughening criminal sanctions. The real problem is that our young people aren't hopeful enough. They don't see that they have it within their means to transform not merely their own lives but the society. They have the power.-William Raspberry, journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner (1995) Prisons cage parents. Prisons also warehouse mentors, teachers, leaders, and potential role models for the next generation. Indeed, whether they know it or not, the 2 million men and women in prisons and jails across the country have the power to change the future. At least, this was the message Rev. Jesse Jackson gave to the residents of Cook County jail in Chicago in a Christmas day sermon (Raspberry, 1995, p. A16). Rev. Jackson urged the prisoners to redirect their anger, let go of their bitterness, and stop feeling sorry for themselves. Instead, he suggested they follow the path of Malcolm X, who, realizing that he could not change the past, decided that he would therefore have to change the future. Raspberry (1995) wrote: It was not, of course, what inmates are accustomed to hearing. Generally they are excoriated as social vermin, fit only for being caged or exterminated, or else pitied as victims of social forces over which they have little control. There's truth in both versions. But there is greater truthredemptive truth-in what Jackson preached on Christmas, (p. A16) 131

Playwork in prison as a mechanism to support family health and well-being

“…While a more holistic view of the prison setting, acknowledging the structural and environmental impact that the environment has on health, has emerged in recent times, the role of the prison visit is frequently neglected (Woodall, 2012a). Considerably more needs to be done to equip, support and empower families to play their role in the rehabilitation of prisoners -a sentiment echoed by Maruna et al (2004) and by The Centre for Social Justice (2009). Play visits offer the opportunity for families to play an active role in shaping a positive future for those serving prison sentences.…”

Life after homicide: accounts of recovery and redemption of offender patients in a high security hospital – a qualitative study

“…A key feature of narratives of redemption is generativity, which includes acts of "reciprocity, mutual obligation, restitution, making amends and carrying the message to others" (Maruna & Ramsden, 2004, p.142). Generativity is linked with desistance (Maruna, 1997;Maruna, LeBel, & Lanier, 2004) perhaps because it looks forward to the future rather than dwelling on anger and guilt about the past.…”

The Liverpool Desistance Study and Probation Practice: Opening the Dialogue

“…see Maruna, Immarigeon, and LeBel, 2004;Maruna and LeBel, 2002;Maruna, LeBel, and Lanier, 2004;Maruna and Ramsden, 2004;Maruna, LeBel, Mitchel and Naples, forthcoming). In an effort to draw on both academic research and real world expertise in these applied discussions, all of these pieces have been co-written with criminal justice practitioners like Russ Immarigeon and Derek Ramsden and/or former prisoners (now 'convict criminologists' 1 ) such as Charlie Lanier, Thomas P. LeBel and Nick Mitchell.…”