The Palgrave Handbook of Prison Ethnography - (Palgrave Studies in Prisons and Penology) by Kenneth A Loparo & J Sloan (Hardcover)

About the Book

"With a foreword by Professor Yvonne Jewkes, University of Leicester, UK.The Palgrave Handbook of Prison Ethnography provides an expansive and authoritative overview of the challenges presented by qualitative, and particularly ethnographic, inquiry. Global in perspective, the chapters reflect upon the means by which ethnographers aim to gain understanding, make sense of what they learn and the way they represent their finished work. The handbook offers urgent insights relevant to current trends in the growth of imprisonment world-wide. In an era of mass incarceration, human-centric ethnography provides an important counter to quantitative analysis and the 'official' audit culture on which prisons are frequently judged.The handbook is divided into four parts. Part I (About Prison Ethnography) assesses methodological, theoretical and pragmatic issues related to the use of ethnographic and qualitative inquiry in understanding complex social and political problems. Part II (Through Prison Ethnography) considers the significance of ethnographic insights for disciplines and for wide social or political concerns. Part III (Of Prison Ethnography) analyses the different aspects of the roles of ethnographers, and how they negotiate their research settings. Part IV (For Prison Ethnography) comprises contributions that convincingly argue for the great value of prison ethnography beyond the prison itself.Bringing together contributions by some of the world's leading scholars in criminology, this volume ultimately maps out new directions for future research. It will be an indispensable resource for all practitioners, students, academics and researchers who utilise social research methods.Contributors: Helen Arnold, Lilian Ayete-Nyampong, Mahuya Bandyopadhyay, Jamie Bennett, Kristel Beyens, Miranda Boone, Lucy Carr, Gilles Chantraine, Ben Crewe, William Davies, Deborah H. Drake, Rod Earle, Elisabeth Fransson, Joel Harvey, Alice Ievins, Andrew M. Jefferson, Yvonne Jewkes, Berit Johnsen, Alison Liebling, Tomas Max Martin, Benita Moolmana, Martyn Hammersley, Coretta Phillips, Laura Piacentini, Lorna A. Rhodes, Abigail Rowe, Nicolas Salle;e, David Scott, Jennifer Sloan, Christina Straub, Thomas Ugelvik, James B. Waldram, Lindsay Whetter, Serena Wright"--

Book Synopsis

This handbook presents a rich collection of chapters that focus on the method and experience of in-depth, ethnographic research in prisons. It provides an authoritative and diverse array of international perspectives that collectively demonstrate the social and political dimensions of the use and experience of imprisonment worldwide.

Review Quotes

"Undertaking ethnographic observation in prisons troubles its practitioners. Ethnography as a research practice always presents profound challenges; in prisons the ambivalences and embarrassments, the divided loyalties, the fascinations and the tedium, can be demanding and chastening indeed. To their great credit the editors of this beautifully conceived and executed volume neither shy away from these problems nor merely indulge in them. Instead they and their contributors take a measured and reflective look at the problems that prison ethnography raises, including those it cannot resolve. Cumulatively, these essays tell us why it matters that the ethnographic study of places of confinement never be eclipsed and why in the end it will not be. In the future everyone who contemplates doing such work will want to reckon with this book and will have reason to be grateful for its lessons" - Richard Sparks, Professor of Criminology and Head of School of Law, University of Edinburgh, UK

"This Handbook offers a rich, honest, challenging and fascinating overview of prison ethnographies in over 10 countries. It discusses important theoretical issues and methodological dilemmas inherent in conducting qualitative, and more particularly ethnographic, inquiry in prisons, while providing at the same time an authoritative account of prison conditions around the world. By looking not only at how ethnography enhances understanding of the prison, but also how prison ethnographies contribute to our understanding of the ethnographic enterprise, it will be an invaluable source for students, practitioners and researchers both within and beyond criminological and prison studies." Sonja Snacken, Professor of Criminology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

About the Author

Helen Arnold, University Campus Suffolk, UK Lilian Ayete-Nyampong, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Ghana Mahuya Bandyopadhyay, Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, India Jamie Bennett is Governor of HMP Grendon/Springhill and holds a PhD in Criminology. Kristel Beyens, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium Miranda Boone, University of Groningen, Netherlands, and Utrecht University, Netherlands Lucy Carr, University of Sheffield, UK Gilles Chantraine, CNRS CLERSÉ, France Ben Crewe, University of Cambridge, UK William Davies, Leeds Beckett University, UK Deborah H. Drake, The Open University, UK Rod Earle, The Open University, UK Elisabeth Fransson, Correctional Service of Norway Staff Academy Joel Harvey, Kings College London, UK Alice Ievins, University of Cambridge, UK Andrew M. Jefferson, DIGNITY: Danish Institute Against Torture Yvonne Jewkes, University of Leicester, UK Berit Johnsen, Correctional Service of Norway Staff Academy AlisonLiebling, University of Cambridge, UK Tomas Max Martin, Danish Institute for Human Rights Benita Moolmana, Human and Social Development Unit in Cape Town, South Africa Martyn Hammersley The Open University, UK Coretta Phillips, London School of Economics, UK Laura Piacentini, University of Strathclyde, UK Lorna A. Rhodes, University of Washington, USA Abigail Rowe, The Open University, UK Nicolas Sallée, Université de Montréal, Canada David Scott, Liverpool John Moores University, UK Jennifer Sloan, Sheffield Hallam University, UK Christina Straub, Leeds University, UK Thomas Ugelvik, University of Oslo, Norway James B. Waldram, University of Saskatchewan, Canada Lindsay Whetter, University of Exeter, UK Serena Wright, University of Cambridge, UK