Young men in prison: surviving and adapting to life inside

226 Pages·2007·2.46 MB·English

by  Joel Harvey

YngMenPrison_AW_PPC.qxd 9/11/06 12:07 am Page 1
Young Men Y
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in Prison
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Surviving and adapting to life inside
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Joel Harvey
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This book examines how young men between the ages of 18 and 21 make
Young Men
the transition to prison life and how they adapt practically, socially and
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psychologically. It is the first study to provide an in-depth account of the
psychosocial experience of imprisonment for young adults, and is based on r
extensive research in Feltham Young Offenders Institution. i
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in Prison
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The book examines in particular the role of social support, both inside and
outside prison, in relation to the adaptation of young men in prison, along n
with the constructs of trust, locus of control, and safety. It concentrates both
on the successful adaptation to prison life and on the experience of
individuals who have difficulties in adapting, and pays special attention to tS
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those who harm themselves whilst in prison. lur Surviving and adapting to life inside
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Understanding this early stage of imprisonment is of major importance to inin
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policy makers and practitioners, given that the first month in prison is in i
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general a period of high risk for suicidal behaviour. Young Men in Prison will en
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be essential reading for people who work with young adults in prison and a
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who are concerned with their welfare. a
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The author
Joel Harvey completed his PhD at the Institute of Criminology, University of J
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Cambridge, and is currently a trainee clinical psychologist at the University of
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Manchester l

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Joel Harvey
www.willanpublishing.co.uk
Young Men in Prison



Young Men in Prison
Surviving and adapting to life inside
Joel Harvey


Published by
Willan Publishing
Culmcott House
Mill Street, Uffculme
Cullompton, Devon
EX15 3AT, UK
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
e-mail: [email protected]
website: www.willanpublishing.co.uk
Published simultaneously in the USA and Canada by
Willan Publishing
c/o ISBS, 920 NE 58th Ave, Suite 300,
Portland, Oregon 97213-3786, USA
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
e-mail: [email protected]
website: www.isbs.com
© 2007 Joel Harvey
The rights of Joel Harvey to be identified as the author of this book have been asserted by
him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the Publishers or a licence
permitting copying in the UK issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham
Court Road, London W1P 9HE.
First published 2007
Hardback
ISBN-13: 978-1-90324-098-4
ISBN-10: 1-90324-098-0

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Project managed by Deer Park Productions, Tavistock, Devon
Typeset by GCS, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, LU7 1AR
Printed and bound by T.J. International Ltd, Padstow, Cornwall
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For my parents, Tom and Isobel, and my sisters,
Esther and Hannah

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Contents
Acknowledgements ix
List of tables and figures xi
1 Introduction 1
The physical, social and political worlds of Feltham 1
Prison politics, policy and research 6
Aims of the book 9
An embedded multimethod approach 12
An overview of the chapters 21
2 The transition into prison 27
The transitional process into prison 28
Common elements of the transition 30
Psychological distress and entering custody 46
3 Adapting to life in prison 52
Types of adapt ation: practical, social and psychological 55
An interaction between practical, social and
psychological adaptation 57
Stages of adaptation: liminality, acceptance
and equilibrium 58
Resilience and surviving the first month 73
4 Supportive transactions between staff and prisoners 76
Sources and types of support 77
Understanding perceptions of support 79
Willingness to seek support 90
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Young Men in Prison
5 Peer interactions and relationships in prison 103
Social networks at Feltham 105
From social interaction to social relationship 114
The limits on forming friendships 125
6 Self-harm among young men in prison 131
Methods of self-harm and reasons for self-harm 135
Differences between the groups 145
The role of perceived safety and locus of control 147
The role of social support within prison 150
The role of social support outside prison 158

7 Transition, adaptation and attachment 165
The experience of transition and adaptation 165
The importance of locus of control, social support,
trust and safety 167
The applicability of attachment theory 171
References 186
Appendix 1 203
Index 207

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Acknowledgements
The research on which this book is based was funded by a three-
year studentship from the Economic and Social Research Council and
a three-year award from the Isaac Newton Trust. The research was
conducted with considerable help from the staff at HM YOI Brinsford
and, especially, HM YOI Feltham, notably Richard Foster, Paul
McDowell, Tom Murray, Nick Pascoe, Marion Rayment and David
Shelton. I am grateful to the many prisoners who agreed to take part
and who were open about their experiences.
Alison Liebling brilliantly supervised the thesis on which this book
is based, and I thank her warmly for her sound advice and kindness.
My doctoral examiners, Adrian Grounds and Keith Bottomley, gave me
useful advice on preparing this book. Thanks to Helen Krarup, Mary
Gower and Stuart Feathers at the Radzinowicz Library, University of
Cambridge. I would also like to thank Helen Arnold, Deb Drake and
Linda Durie for their friendship and their support in my research. Sarah
Bruce, Katherine Chapman, Jo Coggins, Julie Colville, Barry Crosbie,
Adam Danquah, Paul Stephenson and Andy Thomas have also helped

me in different ways.
I am also grateful to my mum for her encouragement and to my
dad for his insightful comments. Thanks also to my sisters Esther and
Hannah and to my grandmother, Joyce Greenwood. Finally, thanks
to Daniel Wakelin. He has provided me with constant support, and I
could not have done this work without him.
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