‘It's as if you're not in the Jail, as if you're not a Prisoner’: Young Male Offenders’ Experiences of Incarceration, Prison Chaplaincy, Religion and Spirituality in Scotland and Denmark

Abstract

This article explores Scottish and Danish young male offenders’ experiences of incarceration, prison chaplaincy, religion and spirituality. The findings from in‐depth face‐to‐face semi‐structured interviews (n = 15) suggest that although Scotland and Denmark are increasingly secular countries, the prison environment (deprivation of liberty, vulnerability and feelings of guilt) seems to engender pro‐religious/spiritual attitudes and an interest in prison chaplaincy services. Working with interfaith chaplains enabled the young inmates to take small steps towards managing the social strains that led them into offending, and the ‘painful’ experiences they encountered during imprisonment. The holistic chaplaincy services that they were offered helped to nurture some initial turning points that stimulated identity and behaviour change linked to transitional masculinity, and in some cases to an increased commitment towards criminal desistance.

Voices of Quiet Desistance in UK Prisons: Exploring Emergence of New Identities Under Desistance Constraint

“…SP11 acknowledged that this change in identity, by way of spirituality, may never have had chance to take root had he continued to be allowed to offend without incarceration. While SP11 referred to the Bible as acting as a base for his spiritual development, Deuchar et al .’s () comparative study of Scottish and Danish inmates likewise identified a wide range of spirituality and religious practices as significantly aiding the desistance process, in as much that it allowed a moral reconfiguration away from criminal codes to spiritual codes.…”

“…However, although our data suggested a lack of prison gang culture, we also noted the way in which the young men in our sample continued to be exposed to the ‘prison code’ which prioritised ‘bravado’ and a strong focus on hypermasculinity (Deuchar et al . ). Violent confrontations between former street gang rivals – combined with the competition for recognised status that arose from drug procurement and distribution within the prisons – meant that our interviewees were hindered in their attempts fully to reform.…”

“…Previous research has indicated that prisons can become landscapes for resocialisation through stimulating the turning points that may lead young inmates to question their self‐identity and offending behaviour (Deuchar et al . ; Maruna, Wilson and Curren ). Our insights corroborate these earlier findings, and suggest that the lack of direct in‐prison gang affiliation often found in England and Scotland can provide young gang members with a space that may support them in reassessing lifestyle choices.…”

“…This article attempts to augment a limited body of work about desistance (Deuchar et al . ; Maruna ), with specific focus on imprisoned gang members and how the apparent lack of gang presence in prison can aid desistance, drawing upon qualitative findings from two larger studies, which explored desistance among gang members. In doing so, the article aims to not only give a voice to offenders from a variety of regional and ethnic backgrounds, but also seeks to use such findings to recommend future policies which may encourage incarcerated gang members to engage actively in primary desistance.…”

“…The role of religion in the desistive process is receiving more intense academic scrutiny (Deuchar et al . ; Liebling, Arnold and Strauss ). A distinction should also be drawn between factors which cause desistance (for example, an individual wanting to change the trajectory of his life) and factors which aid desistance (for example, an individual finding work, a faith or starting a family).…”