The experience of being young and in prison

Abstract

The main aim of this study is to explore the experiences of young men in prison. These are couched within a conceptual framework borrowed from symbolic interactionism. A review of the relevant literature on the experience of incarceration is presented. The empirical work involves in-depth qualitative interviews with twenty young men who have experienced imprisonment within the local setting. Using a grounded theory approach, the data analysis focuses on the way these young men experience prison in relation to the passage of time, the inmates' relationships with the authorities and other inmates in prison and their family and friends outside prison. The difficulties that these young men come across during imprisonment such as lack of freedom and privacy, the experience of disculturation, a high-rigid structure and fears from safety are also examined. These emergent themes indicate that the participants' concept of self impacts considerably on how they cope with the overall experience of imprisonment. The thesis concludes with a set of recommendations for policy, service development and further research.