UNIONIZATlON BEHIND THE WALLS
TL;DR: Inmates' unions have been opposed by state officials as discussed by the authors and a number of tactics have been employed to weaken them, and no constitutional or statutory provisions deal specifically with the right of prisoners to unionize, that right probably depends upon the union's ability to demonstrate that it does not threaten institutional security.
Abstract: Inmate militancy has evolved from rioting to nonviolent forms of protest and, more recently, to union organizing activities. Prisoners' unions have been opposed by state officials. and a number of tactics have been employed to weaken them Although no constitutional or statutory provisions deal specifically with the right of prisoners to unionize, that right probably depends upon the union's ability to demonstrate that it does not threaten institutional security and would not significantly alter the existing power structure. Prisoners' unions could represent a more participatory and open form of bargaining than currently exists in prisons
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17 Dec 2008
TL;DR: The authors examined the history of hunger strikes from 1906 to 2004 with a comparative perspective, elaborating on its use as a tactic of nonviolent change, and found that hunger strikes over the last century have been widespread phenomena that are typically small, brief and relatively successful tactics against the state.
Abstract: Hunger strikes have a long history in efforts to achieve social change but scholars have made few comparative, empirical, or theoretical contributions to understanding their dynamics and connections in the social movement and nonviolent action literature. We examine hunger strikes from 1906 to 2004 with a comparative perspective, elaborating on its use as a tactic of nonviolent change. Using data assembled from the New York Times, Keesing's Worldwide Online, and The Economist we analyze how, when, where, and why hunger strikes occur, and by whom they have been utilized to seek change. In general, findings reveal that hunger strikes over the last century have been widespread phenomena that are typically small, brief, and relatively successful tactics against the state. Several themes emerge regarding hunger strikes including their appeal to the powerless and emergence when few political opportunities exist, their significance for third-party mobilization, and the role of emotions in the protest dynamics. Taken together, the power struggle involving the hunger strike is an important example and extension of “political jiu-jitsu” as presented by Sharp (1973).
50 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a political model of crime and punishment is described and the utility of this model is explored in the light of depth interviews with incarcerated offenders, and it is suggested that the average offender brings to prison political socialization experiences which have resulted in alienation but not ideological estrangement from the political order.
Abstract: A “political model” of crime and punishment is described and the utility of this model is explored in the light of depth interviews with incarcerated offenders. It is suggested that the average offender brings to prison political socialization experiences which have resulted in alienation but not ideological estrangement from the political order. It is further suggested that politicizing processes in prison, coupled with the failure of rehabilitative efforts, have mode the political model acceptable to a large proportion of offenders. this model is not acceptable to prison administrators, however, and the result is increasingly that administrators and clients are operating from conflicting paradigms.
12 citations
TL;DR: The authors examines the impact of imprisonment on citizenship and identifies how civil, political and social rights are circumscribed with a sentence of imprisonment, and scrutinizes to what extent these rights are violated.
Abstract: This article examines the impact of imprisonment on citizenship. It identifies how civil, political and social rights are circumscribed with a sentence of imprisonment, and scrutinizes to what exte...
6 citations
TL;DR: For example, this paper examined political participation among prisoners in the early decades of the Irish State and found that despite the legal and political struggle by prisoners and penal reformers to achieve enfranchisement, when it was granted, it w...
Abstract: Prisoners and ex-prisoners have played a prominent role in modern Irish history. Yet despite using their prison experience for political advancement, on release, few political leaders became vocal advocates of penal reform in general or prisoner enfranchisement in particular. Prior to the passing of the Electoral (Amendment) Act in 2006, Irish prisoners were in an anomalous position: they were allowed to register, but no facility existed, for them to vote. However, this did not prevent prisoners from engaging with, and at times, challenging the political system, both north and south throughout the 20th century. Much has been written about political activity among prisoners in Northern Ireland but relatively little about their endeavors in the Irish Republic. This article begins with an examination of political participation among prisoners in the early decades of the Irish State. Despite the legal and political struggle by prisoners and penal reformers to achieve enfranchisement, when it was granted, it w...
6 citations
01 Sep 1990
TL;DR: The authors examines the under-researched phenomenon of prisoner politicization in the United States and Canada, surveying a period between the prison turbulence of the 1960s to the current era of administrative control.
Abstract: This article examines the under-researched phenomenon of prisoner politicization in the United States and Canada, surveying a period between the prison turbulence of the 1960s to the current era of administrative control. The theoretical grounds for the concept of prisoner politicization are delineated, and a measure of politicization is constructed based on research undertaken at three British Columbia penitentiaries, involving direct interviews with prisoners. The decline of prisoner politicization over the past decade is related to innovative penal strategies that re-individualize prisoner orientations and discourage potential alliances between prisoners and non-prisoner activist groups.
4 citations
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TL;DR: Sweden's Osteraker prison outside of Stockholm is a walled, maximum custody facility for 195 prisoners who have committed serious crimes, such as homicide, robbery, and sale of narcotics.
Abstract: Sweden's Osteraker prison outside of Stockholm is a walled, maximum custody facility for 195 prisoners. Confined in Osteraker are men who have committed serious crimes, such as homicide, robbery, and sale of narcotics; recidivists who did not "profit7' from terms in open institutions;1 and men who escaped from open institutions or did not return from home leaves. This prison was the site, in early 1971, of unprecedented bargain-
37 citations
Journal Article•
14 citations