Prisoner Emotions: Understanding the pathways to destruction and healing in prison

单独监禁有害吗？它能被认为是康复的吗？随着时间的推移，隔离的经历如何影响囚犯的发展轨迹？隔离单位是管理一些最困难和最脆弱的囚犯的复杂场所。10%的囚犯至少被隔离一天（Shalev和埃德加，2015年）。单独监禁通常被描述为一种“残酷的生态”（Haney，2008年）和一种心理折磨（Morris，2002年）。然而，关于单独监禁的影响存在争议，一些人认为，这种影响要么是短暂的，要么对一些囚犯来说甚至是有启发性的（奥唐纳，2014年）。然而，至关重要的是，这场辩论被剥夺了情感层面：对伤害的心理衡量被赋予了特权，而对囚犯经历的直接描述则被埋葬在文献中。考虑到隔离单元的“负荷”和情绪强度（愤怒、恐惧和悲伤的表现司空见惯），以及情绪在塑造行为、决策和社会生活方面发挥着至关重要的作用，忽视情绪是值得注意的。通过前景化的情绪，这项研究将有助于提供一个更细致入微的了解男性和女性囚犯的经验，随着时间的推移，隔离，推进我们的理论理解的隔离，绝望的周期和路线的暴力。首先，单独监禁的情感世界的关键动力是什么？这涉及探索囚犯体验、管理和心理上科普隔离的方式。这里特别强调的是“情绪调节”，管理情绪的不同方法，以及这些情绪状态在特定时间的强度。第二，经历隔离的囚犯的情感“途径”是什么？孤独是否会导致毁灭、暴力和违规循环？或者有可以观察到的治愈、同情和洞察力的途径吗？很少有关于单独监禁的研究考虑到随着时间的推移而发生的变化，或者它们通常没有在报告中包括囚犯对这种变化的描述。与此相反，本研究将关注不同时期的情绪发展模式，并试图了解这些变化的机制，为了调查这些问题，这个简短的纵向研究将结合重复的半结构化访谈囚犯（n=80），参与者观察，和一个简短的调查（n=200）。实地考察阶段将分为两个阶段（时间-1和时间-2），间隔六个月。实地调查的重点是调查社会隔离，感觉剥夺，不活动和控制水平的提高等因素如何随着时间的推移影响情绪发展。纵向格式使研究能够在个人和群体层面上定位样本人群的发展（工作与健康研究所，2015）。除了访谈之外，详细的囚犯观察提供了一个直接评估行为的机会，并将向更广泛的囚犯样本（n=200）分发一份调查，这些囚犯在当前刑期的某个时间点经历过单独监禁。回应最近的呼吁，在纪律更深入地了解过程中的中止拘留设置。这项研究的目的是通过开放这些封闭的机构世界进行实证研究，为与囚犯单独监禁经历有关的政策和做法提供信息，从业人员和学术界对此知之甚少。它将进一步大大有助于犯罪学文献，已被描述为'冷血'（费雷尔，1999年）和缺乏感情。

Is solitary confinement damaging? Can it ever be considered rehabilitative? How does the experience of segregation affect prisoners' developmental trajectories over time?Segregation units are complex places managing some of the most difficult and vulnerable prisoners. Ten per cent of prisoners spend at least one day in segregation (Shalev & Edgar, 2015). Solitary confinement is often described as an 'ecology of cruelty' (Haney, 2008), and a form of psychological torture (Morris, 2002). Yet, there is debate over the effects of solitary, with some arguing that impacts are either short-lived or even enlightening for some prisoners (O'Donnell, 2014). Crucially however, this debate has been shorn of emotional dimensions: psychological measures of harm have been privileged while direct accounts of prisoners' experiences are buried in the literature. The neglect of emotion is remarkable given the 'charge' and emotional intensity of segregation units (where displays of anger, fear and sadness are commonplace) and because emotions play an essential role in shaping behaviour, decision-making and social life. By foregrounding emotion this study will help provide a more nuanced understanding of male and female prisoner experiences in segregation over time, advancing our theoretical understanding of segregation, cycles of despair and routes out of violence.To explore these issues this study will be guided by two primary research questions. First, what are the key dynamics of the emotional world of solitary confinement? This involves exploring the ways in which prisoners experience, manage, and psychologically cope with segregation. Particular emphasis is given here to 'emotion regulation', different ways of managing emotions, and the intensity of these feeling states at particular times. Second, what are the emotional 'pathways' of prisoners who experience segregation? Does solitary set in motion trajectories that lead to destruction, violence, and cycles of infractions? Or are there routes to healing, compassion and insight that can be observed? Few studies of solitary confinement consider changes over time, or they typically fail to include prisoners' accounts of such changes in their reports. By contrast, this study would focus on patterns of emotional development at different time periods and try to understand the mechanisms of change that underpin them.To investigate these questions, this short longitudinal study would blend repeat semi-structured interviews with prisoners (n=80), participant observation, and a short survey (n=200). The fieldwork phase would be formed of two stages (Time-1 and Time-2), separated by a six month gap. The fieldwork focuses on investigating how factors such as social isolation, sensory deprivation, inactivity, and increased levels of control impact emotional development over time. The longitudinal format enables the study to locate developments in the sample population both at the individual and group level (Institute for Work & Health, 2015). Alongside the interviews, detailed prisoner observations provide an opportunity to assess behaviours directly, and a survey will be circulated to a broader sample of prisoners (n=200) who have experienced solitary confinement at some previous point in their current sentence.The research would be particularly novel in its longitudinal approach, answering recent calls within the discipline for greater insight into processes of desistance within custodial settings. The study would aim to inform policy and practice in relation to prisoner experiences of solitary confinement, about which little is known either by practitioners and academics, by opening up these closed institutional worlds to empirical research. It would further contribute significantly to a criminological literature that has been described as 'bloodless' (Ferrell, 1999) and devoid of feeling.