In Search of Generativity in Prison Officer Work: Balancing Care and Control in Custodial Settings

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    20 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Generativity, defined as the actions of an individual or group that enable others to care in meaningful ways for themselves and their significant others, has become an important concept for thinking about desistance from crime. In this article, we explore opportunities for prison officers in metropolitan and regional South Australia to model and/or engage in generative conduct. We find the emergence of generativity to be idiosyncratic—linked to individual officer’s capacities to resist the dominant “us” versus “them” culture—and to be often thwarted by a fatalistic outlook. Correctional policy implications are discussed.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)52-78
    Number of pages27
    JournalThe Prison Journal
    Volume97
    Issue number1
    Early online date2016
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jan 2017

    Keywords

    • care
    • control
    • generativity
    • officer culture
    • prison officers

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