Prisoner futures: Sensing the signs of generativity

Abstract

In recent years, a small but critically informed literature has emerged which points to the link between opportunities to engage in generative acts and desistance from crime. This paper outlines the nature and limits of generative moments (conceived as the philosophy or practice of caring in non-violent and durable ways for self, other and future) with regard to the incarceration of a group of young males interviewed since 2003. Specifically, it poses the question of who or what it has been possible for these young men to care about within and beyond custody and highlights some of the factors which undermine generative concerns and actions. In concluding, the paper offers several ideas for enhancing generative opportunities within custodial environments.

In Search of Generativity in Prison Officer Work

“…[I] stick within the rules. (G) This somewhat sanguine account needs to be tempered by the fact that prisoners told of officers in the various interview locations abusing their authority (see Halsey, 2008;Halsey & Harris, 2011). Facilities with significant remand or transient prisoner populations were consistently tense.…”

‘A Real Gap’: Consequences of Removing Reintegration Support in Tasmania, Australia

“…Returning citizens' needs are multifaceted (Halsey 2010;Halsey and Harris 2011;Parsell et al 2015;Willis 2018)-especially when crime stems from homelessness, low socioeconomic and educational status, poverty, and unemployment (Bradley et al 2001;Payne et al 2015). They are among the most socially excluded members of society (Jones-Finer and Nellis 1998) as the skills and knowledge required in prison are vastly different from those required in society (Halsey 2010).…”

Vagaries, Anxieties and the Imagined Paedophile: A Victorian Case Study on Mandatory Sex Offender Registration for Young Adult Registrants Convicted after Non-Consensually Distributing Intimate Images

“…It also questions whether community notification is the vital condition modulating or exacerbating collateral consequences. This analysis reflects on the 'everyday' impacts of registration which may appear 'trivial' yet reveal the depth and complexity of participant experiences (Halsey and Harris 2011) and offer theoretical insight into the form and function of contemporary penal technologies.…”