Forgotten or neglected? The prison officer in existing penal research and the case for Irish explorations of prison work
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Date
2013-06
Authors
Barry, Colette
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Centre for Criminal Justice & Human Rights (CCJHR), School of Law, University College Cork
Published Version
Abstract
The role of the modern prison officer is undoubtedly one of considerable significance within prisons and across prison systems. While officers occupy important roles in the context of the implementation of policy and the legitimacy of the prison, a paucity of robust prison officer research has persisted for many years. Described in existing literature as the ‘invisible ghosts of penality’, prison officers and their culture have not been subjected to the same rigours of empirical analysis as the institution of the prison and the prisoners who reside within it. Recent years have seen a burgeoning body of research emerge internationally. Irish scholarship in this area has not begun to flourish in a similar fashion, however. Using existing research as a starting point, this paper seeks to advocate for the need for Irish studies of prison officers and their cultures, experiences and perceptions. The paper will commence with a discussion of the importance and value of prison officer research. An outline of existing research will be presented, highlighting in particular recent empirical work on prison officer culture. Following this, the paper will move to consider the Irish context, beginning with a discussion of the lack of research interest and the primarily descriptive focus of previous academic endeavours in this area. Finally, the need for robust Irish research in this area will be articulated, emphasising the significance of future Irish scholarship as a contribution to existing knowledge of prison officers and criminological research more generally.
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Keywords
Prisons , Prison officers , Ireland
Citation
Barry, C. (2013) 'Forgotten or neglected? The prison officer in existing penal research and the case for Irish explorations of prison work', CCJHR Legal Research Working Papers series, No. 4, Cork: CCJHR, University College Cork
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Copyright
© Colette Barry, 2013