"Bakom fängelsets kulisser" : En kvalitativ studie om institutionalisering bland långafrihetsberövanden

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of long term imprisonment on inmates. Our prime interest have ben to identify if eventual effects are considered positive or negative or even a combination of the two. To answer these questions we conducted observations of convicts in a high security prison in Sweden. The collected data were followed by interviews with individuals who have spent considerable time behind bars. We discovered several different behavioral effects whilst conducting our study. Most of them indicated negatively by alienating and suppressing the individual's development, distancing them further away from the community. Inmates tend to alter their behavior substantially when being locked up for longer periods of time in small places with other criminals. Hence their identities change to fit into the environment. Some individuals develop communicational skills to adapt and manage their lifestyle in prison. In general, incarcerated individuals develop special social skills that are crucially needed in prison environment but tend to be redundant in the social community. Key words - differential association, social bonds, communication, identity