The Prison Journal

This special issue of The Prison Journal features the scholarship of faculty based at, or associated with. the Institute for Research in Criminology, Community, Education and Social Justice at De Montfort University (DMU), Leicester, UK. Three articles offer critical perspectives on women's prisons, the role of coercive control in the lives of women offenders who are victimized by domestic abuse, and the issue of ethical research practice with imprisoned women. The remaining three contributions include an assessment of prison education in UK prisons, an overview of a hope-inspired UK prison arts program, and the results of a public attitudes survey regarding access to and use of digital technologiesby incarcerated individuals in the UK.

This research, utilizing a case study design, focused on prison operations in women's prisons and compared those across each of the four jurisdictions of England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. The numbers of women in prison, the crimes for which they are imprisoned, and their sentences are considered, along with women's prison policy initiatives in each jurisdiction. The differences between these policies and the realities of women's experiences in prison are highlighted.

This article explores the vulnerability of many UK female offenders and their experiences of domestic abuse that drives their criminality. Now that coercive control by domestic partners is more widely understood, criminal defences should take into account the impact it has upon domestic abuse victim/defendants. The Prison Reform Trust campaigned for the introduction of legal reform that would end convictions of people who committed crimes as a direct result of domestic abuse victimization. The reform has been considered during the debates on the 2021 Domestic Abuse Bill; however, the government rejected the proposal. This article considers how the application of domestic abuse defences can reduce the female prison population and discusses why legal reform is necessary.

In this article, a new model, An Ethic of Empathy, is proposed as a guide for researchers, particularly new scholars to the discipline. This model emerged from the authors’ concerns regarding the application of ethics to studies that focus on the experience of female offenders in criminal justice systems. The key issue is the vulnerability of incarcerated and post-release women in relationship to the powerful status of social scientist researchers. The complexity of ethics in such research settings necessitates a particular ethical preparation, involving formation, reflection, understanding, commitment, care, and empathy. Three cases are outlined which document the authors’ ethical formations as researchers.

Much is made of the potential of prison education to impart knowledge and skills and transform life chances. Prison education is tasked with delivering qualifications and effecting recidivism. In assessing current arrangements for the delivery of prison education and reviews and evaluations of its impact on recidivism in England and Wales, this article argues that prison education should be an inclusive activity. Specifically, prison education should focus less on individual development and more on whole class ‘domains,’ in particular, knowledge of (re)integration. Research, policy, and practice on civic/citizenship education provide models in this regard.

The value of arts-based projects within the criminal justice system is well documented, as research has identified positive outcomes relating to inmates’ behavior and their relationships with others. This article examines the work of the Soft Touch Arts project at HMP Leicester, UK and identifies the importance of hope as a transformative outcome. Interviews with artists in prison and community settings demonstrated the value of engaging in creative and purposeful activity, generating hope which enabled artists to aspire to a better future. This occurred alongside ameliorating the harms of prison and helping artists manage their relationship with probation services.

The incarcerated are subject to digital inequalities whereby the distribution of Information Communication Technology (ICT) access, uptake, and skills is restricted by strict regulations to control use. Using the Attitudes toward Digital Technology in Secure Environments (ATD-ISE) scale, 237 participants were surveyed to assess public opinion regarding access and implementation of digital technology in prisons. We observed there is a potential opportunity to inform and educate the public on the value of enhancing digital literacy in correctional facilities for the benefit of rehabilitative outcomes.