‚Doing criminality’

: Subjektivierung von Häftlingen im österreichischen Strafvollzug

Abstract

Based on the discrepancy between the re-socialization mandate of prisons and the high rate of re-conviction of released prisoners, this master's thesis is interested in people serving an unconditional prison sentence in an Austrian prison. It aims to find out how subjectivation processes in prison can be described from an intersectional perspective and whether it is possible to speak of 'doing criminality'. It will look at how the institutional environment is articulated in the social practices of the individuals and which intersectional relations of difference become visible in their positioning. By means of six biographical-narrative interviews conducted with inmates and evaluated using intersectional multi-level analysis, it was possible to establish that everyday prison life produces, consolidates and reproduces performative acts of 'doing criminality'. The implications drawn from the research work for the prison system and social work in offender support are presented.

Date of Award	May 2024
Original language	German (Austria)
Supervisor	Martina Tißberger (Supervisor)