'You Have to Work and Obey': Prisons, the Suppression of Autonomy, and Responsibilisation of Persons in and Released from Prison

Mertl, Jiří

doi:10.13060/csr.2020.017

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…In some cases, ex-prisoners have instructions they can visit public institutions or NGOs and ask for help, few prisons cooperate with NGOs and are able to secure follow-up social work (accompaniment after the release, assistance with administration at various offices etc. ), but mostly the notion of responsibilisation (Mertl, 2020) is applied, so most ex-prisoners are sent outside a prison with money for transportation to their home and that is all. There are basically two public institutions that should give support to ex-prisoners: social curators and probations officers.…”

Section: Literature Overview and Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Seems to be the Problem? Ex-Prisoners’ Reentry/Resettlement in the Czech Republic

Mertl

2022

Crime & Delinquency

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The study is focused on the reentry/resettlement problems that are faced by ex-prisoners in the Czech Republic (CR). Findings are based on semi-structured interviews with 26 ex-prisoners and 30 social workers who provide social services in prisons and after the release. Based on the data, which were coded inductively employing qualitative content analysis, several post-prison issues emerged: (1) material deprivation and insecurity regarding housing, subsistence, and stable employment; (2) debts and enforcement proceedings; (3) prisonisation effect; (4) health issues; (5) relationships with family and significant others; (6) drug abuse; (7) meaningful leisure time. Particularly, more attention was given to housing, subsistence, stable employment, and debts and enforcement proceedings because, compared to other countries, these issues have their specifics in the CR. Findings, interpreted through the optics of intersectionality, suggest that the Czech social policies regarding ex-prisoners are focused on a one or selection of factors, instead on the complex interplay of them, as well as not properly targeted and delivered in the right time. To improve the situation, the better system of social services financing that would address the ex-prisoners’ complex needs must be implemented along with the housing first policy and more accessible personal bankruptcy.

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Section: Literature Overview and Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Seems to be the Problem? Ex-Prisoners’ Reentry/Resettlement in the Czech Republic

Mertl

2022

Crime & Delinquency

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“…V posledních letech se však situace proměnila. Problematice vězeňství ze sociologické perspektivy se v současné době věnují například (řazeno abecedně) Andrea Beláňová [Beláňová 2018;Beláňová, Trejbalová 2020], Jiří Buriánek [Buri ánek, Podaná, Homolová 2016;Buriánek, Hulmáková, Podaná 2018], Lukáš Dirga [Dirga 2017[Dirga , 2020Dirga, Hasmanová Marhánková 2014;Dirga, Lochmannová, Juříček 2015;], Alena Lochmannová [2020], Jiří Mertl [2020], Jit ka Navrátilová 6 , Zuzana Podaná [Podaná, Buriánek 2010], Jan Váně [Váně, Dirga 2016 či Lucie Vidovićová [Vidovićová, Wija 2020]. 7 V České republice jsou položeny také základy aplikovanému vězeňskému výzkumu, který je dle zákona č.…”

Section: Externí Spojení Sociologie a Vězeňstvíunclassified

Sociology Behind Bars? Penitentiary Sociology in the Czech Republic

Dirga¹

2021

Czech Sociological Review

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The aim of this paper is to introduce discipline of penitentiary soci ology, discuss its forms in the context of the Czech Republic, and answer the question of why sociologists do not participate in everyday practice behind bars of Czech prisons even though they have formal ties with this environ ment. The findings presented in this paper are based on qualitative research conducted in Czech prisons. The data corpus includes qualitative interviews with selected actors in the prison world and an analysis of relevant documents relating to the research topic. Sociology and the prison system meet on two basic levels in the Czech Republic. As an external partnership that seems to have grown stronger over the years and as an internal bond that has weakened (and almost been dismissed) since the end of the 1990s. Sociology has formally retained a place behind the bars of Czech prisons thanks to the sociologists who according to the regulations of the Czech prison service should figure among the prison staff. In reality, the initial enthusiasm for this practice faded over the years and there are no sociologists currently working in Czech pris ons. In this paper the author presents some possible explanations for this, ofers a historical description of the (non)participation of sociologists in Czech prisons, and discusses the possibilities for the future development of Czech penitentiary sociology.

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“…Consequently, in 2020 alone, more than 11,000 prisoners were reintegrated back into mainstream Czech society (VSČR, 2020b). Despite this, the country lacks a comprehensive network of re-entry services and programs that would aid prisoners' return to the community (Mertl, 2020). Given the relatively high number 1 of individuals re-entering each year, the limited amount of appropriate re-entry services can have dire consequences for the entire country.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Veiling Religion: The Public Face of Czech Re-Entry Faith-Based Organizations

Beláňová

Trejbalová

Wetherell

2022

Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol

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Due to the lack of sufficient non-governmental prisoner re-entry services in the Czech Republic, many post-release activities are provided by faith-based organizations (FBOs). However, the Czech Republic is considered to be one of the most atheistic countries in the world. Most of the Czech population is at least apathetic toward organized religion. This study examines how re-entry FBOs present Christianity to the public in the religiously indifferent Czech Republic. The primary focus is on how the organizations present themselves to the public. We employ qualitative content analysis examining names, logos, mission statements, and other documents of 14 re-entry FBOs. The analysis reveals four general themes within the organizations’ public presentations: Ambiguity when expressing religious topics, Christianity as an offer, Christianity as a form of social movement (self-legitimization), and Christianity as a pro-social lifestyle.

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'You Have to Work and Obey': Prisons, the Suppression of Autonomy, and Responsibilisation of Persons in and Released from Prison

Cited by 4 publications

References 34 publications

What Seems to be the Problem? Ex-Prisoners’ Reentry/Resettlement in the Czech Republic

What Seems to be the Problem? Ex-Prisoners’ Reentry/Resettlement in the Czech Republic

Sociology Behind Bars? Penitentiary Sociology in the Czech Republic

Veiling Religion: The Public Face of Czech Re-Entry Faith-Based Organizations

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