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Pandeli, Jenna and Longman, Richard
(2024).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170241292947
Abstract
This article examines how prison work functions as a site where neoliberal and carceral capitalist logics are reproduced across individual, organisational, and societal levels. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in a private UK prison, we argue that confinement exacerbates prisoners’ obsession with money and predatory entrepreneurialism, reflecting and reinforcing the broader dynamics of carceral capitalism at each level. By analysing these interconnected dynamics, we demonstrate how incarceration perpetuates these logics. Furthermore, we illustrate how prison work perpetuates neoliberal exploitation, surveillance, and control, hindering rehabilitation and societal reintegration. Our analysis underscores the need for a comprehensive reassessment of the Prison Industrial Complex. We conclude that rather than viewing prisoners as a captive audience for reproducing carceral capitalism, prisons should be reimagined to prioritise the humanity of those impacted by the criminal justice system and to create alternative models of accountability and social transformation.
Plain Language Summary
This article explores how prison work helps to reinforce the ideas of neoliberalism and carceral capitalism at the individual, organisational, and societal levels. Based on research in a private UK prison, the authors argue that prison conditions intensify prisoners' focus on money and encourage harmful, exploitative business practices, which reflect the broader system of carceral capitalism. The study shows that these dynamics keep these systems going and prevent meaningful rehabilitation. The authors call for a deep reassessment of the Prison Industrial Complex and argue that prisons should focus on the humanity of those affected by the criminal justice system, promoting alternative ways of accountability and social change instead of reinforcing exploitative practices.
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
