U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.
        Here's how you know
      Here's how you know**Official websites use .gov**
            
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
      **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            
            A **lock** (
            A locked padlock
            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Menu

      
        close

            
            
                                              About NIJ
        
                    
  
          About NIJ
      
    
          The NIJ Director
          How NIJ Is Organized
          Mission and Guiding Principles
          Research and Development Process
          Strategic Framework
          Assessments of NIJ
          Annual Reports & Reports to Congress
          Staff Directory
          Funding & Awards
        
                    
  
          Funding & Awards
      
    
          Current Funding
          Forthcoming Funding
          Expired Funding
          Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
          Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
          Fellowship & Student Programs
          Travel Scholarships
          NIJ Challenge Program
          Library & Multimedia
        
                    
  
          Library & Multimedia
      
    
          NIJ Journal
          Podcasts
          Publications Listing
          Multimedia Listing
          Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
          Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
          Software & Databases
          Datasets
          Patents
          Topics
        
                    
  
          Topics
      
    
          Article Listing
          Corrections
          Courts
          Crime Prevention
          Crimes
          Drugs and Crime
          Equipment and Technology
          Forensic Sciences
          Youth Justice
          Justice System Reform
          Law Enforcement
          Tribal Crime and Justice
          Victims of Crime
          Events
        
                    
  
          Events
      
    
          NIJ 2024 Research Conference
          Scheduled Events
          On-Demand Events
          Research Meetings & Workshops
          NIJ-Hosted Online Training

                            
                                About
          Contact Us
          Subscribe
          Topics A-Z
                  Share
FacebookXLinkedInRedditPinterestEmail Home
                            Library & Multimedia
 Through Their Eyes: How Prisoners Make Sense of Their Incarceration
NCJ Number
              244149
Journal

*National Institute of Justice Journal* Issue: 273 Dated: March 2014 Pages: 60-65
Author(s)
          Nadine  Frederique;
                        Lori  Sexton
Date Published

March 2014
Length
              6 pages
Publication Series
          NIJ Journal
Annotation
              This article reports on a research project partially funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), in which the researcher interviewed 80 male and female inmates about their subjective experience and interpretation of punishment in 3 Ohio State prisons.
Abstract
              Nearly all the prisoners agreed that being in prison is in itself a large part of their punishment. In addition, symbolic punishments were identified: the losses of autonomy and a sense of self as a person; as well as the loss of family; all of which are related to their loss of freedom. The study also examined how the experience of punishment varied, using two dimensions that arose from the data: severity (the punishment's intensity as experienced by prisoners) and salience (the importance of punishment in the minds and lives of prisoners). An analysis of the interaction of severity and salience revealed four narratives of penal consciousness. These four narratives are "punishment as part of life;" "punishment as a separate life;" "punishment as suspension of life;" and "punishment as death." Some prisoners may experience more than one narrative at the same time. The prison environment influenced penal consciousness in various ways. Direct supervision is designed to be a humane and humanizing form of incarceration that includes housing units with cells arranged around a common dayroom; commercial-grade fixtures inside cells and common areas; and amenities such as televisions, games, kitchen appliances, and do-it-yourself laundry. Prisoners under direct supervision tended to experience punishment as part of life and as a separate life. Both were associated with low-severity punishment. This contrasted with prisoners under indirect supervision, which involves traditional linear-style cellblocks. These inmates tended to experience punishment as suspension of life and punishment as death. Female inmates tended to lament the lack of consistency and routine in prison. 2 notes
      
  
          Additional Details
Grant Number(s)
        2010-IJ-CX-0002


  
  
        
  Agencies
        NIJ


  
  
        
  Publication Type
        Research (Applied/Empirical)
                                Report (Study/Research)


  
  
        
  Award
        Under the Penal Gaze: An empirical examination of penal consciousness among prison inmates
    
  
  
Date Published: March 1, 2014
    
          Downloads
        
                      PDF
                  HTML

Side navigation
  

        

  
  
              NIJ Journal
    
      
            
            
            
      Podcasts
    
      
            
            
            
      Publications Listing
    
      
            
            
            
      Multimedia Listing
    
      
            
            
            
      Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
    
      
            
            
            
      Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
    
      
            
            
            
      Software & Databases
    
      
            
            
            
      Datasets
    
      
            
            
            
      PatentsRelated Topics
        
                Corrections
        Corrections management
        Female
        Inmate attitudes
        Inmates/offenders



  
Similar Publications
        
                      How Formerly Incarcerated Women Confront the Limits of Caring and the Burdens of Control Amid California's Carceral Realignment
                  Molar Crenulation Trait Definition and Variation in Modern Human Populations
                  ATM: A distributed, collaborative, scalable system for automated machine learning
 Top

      National Institute of Justice

        
        
                        About NIJ
                    About NIJ
      
    
                  How NIJ Is Organized
      
    
                  NIJ Director
      
    
                  Research Disclaimer
      
    
                  Funding & Awards
                    Funding & Awards Home
      
    
                  Awards Listing
      
    
                  Current Funding
      
    
                  Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
      
    
                  Resources
                    Events
      
    
                  Podcasts
      
    
                  Publications
      
    
                  Topics
      
    
                  Multimedia
      
    
                  Reuse Policy
      
    
                  Contacts
                    Contact NIJ
      
    
                  Staff Directory
      
    
                  Submit a FOIA Request
      
    
                  File a Civil Rights ComplaintFacebook
          
                      X
          
                      YouTube
  

      810 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20531
      
              Secondary Footer link menu
            Accessibility
              Plain Language
              Privacy Policy
              Legal Policies and Disclaimer
              No FEAR Act
              Freedom of Information Act
              USA.gov
              Justice.gov