Rhizomatic affective spaces and the therapeutic potential of music in prison: a qualitative meta-synthesis

Research literature supports that music programmes in prisons can have a therapeutic effect in prisoners’ lives that could promote personal development and assist the process towards desistance. The authors use a meta-synthetic approach to examine 12 qualitative articles published worldwide to explore the therapeutic potential of such programmes. The findings suggest that music programmes in prison are perceived by participating prisoners as a liberating process which encourages participation and allows for non-coercive personal development. The therapeutic potential of music programmes is located in the combination of the benefits emanating from the effect and practice of music and the creation of mental, spatial and temporal zones of free expression and those that derive from the egalitarian and non-authoritative approach employed by the facilitators. These findings are discussed along with aspects involved in the provision of offender treatment as well as factors that affect treatment response and engagement

Using multimodal methods to explore groups with multifaceted roles: The case of prison officers

This article explores the ways in which creative, multimodal methods are well-suited to research with groups holding multifaceted roles within complex systems. The potential benefits of using imaginative methods in qualitative inquiry will be discussed in relation to the participants, organisation and researcher. The first author’s ongoing doctoral project is discussed, which employs a creative, multimodal method combining vlogs and interviews for data collection to explore prison officers’ (POs) emotional experiences of their complex work roles. The PO role is multifaceted and requires the balancing of competing demands, such as discipline and rehabilitation, within the complex prison environment. Given the intricacies of the PO role and prison system, the question of why multimodal methods are particularly well-suited to research with this group shall be explored. The article will begin with an overview of the complexities of the PO experience, and then consider how multimodal methods might address these multiplicities

Planting the seeds of change: Directionality in the narrative construction of recovery from addiction

Objective: The dominant theoretical perspective that guides treatment evaluations in addiction assumes linearity in the relationship between treatment and outcomes, viewing behaviour change as a ‘before and after event’. In this study we aim to examine how the direction of the trajectory of the process from addiction to recovery is constructed in personal narratives of active and recovering users. Design: 21 life stories from individuals at different stages of recovery and active use were collected and analysed following the principles of narrative analysis. Results: Personal trajectories were constructed in discontinuous, non-linear and long lasting patterns of repeated, and interchangeable, episodes of relapse and abstinence. Relapse appeared to be described as an integral part of a learning process through which knowledge leading to recovery was gradually obtained. Conclusion: The findings show that long-term recovery is represented as being preceded by periods of discontinuity before change is stabilised. Such periods are presented to be lasting longer than most short-term pre-post intervention designs can capture and suggest the need to rethink how change is defined and measured

Through the prison walls: using published poetry to explore current UK prisoners’ narratives of past, present and future selves

Background: Prison is a complex, hierarchical environment which has been shown to both prompt existential reflection and act as a barrier to authentic emotional expression. The risks associated with emotional expression within prison are further suggested to inhibit forms of self-reflection crucial to successful desistance. This article explores the use of poetry as a practice and a research method within such an environment. Method: Using narrative thematic analysis, poems published in Inside Times magazine were examined, selected because of a focus on inmate subjectivity. Findings: Findings focus on the emotional, reflective, and transportational qualities of poetry. We explore the capacity of poetry to both mediate reflexive, emotional experiences, and mitigate counter-therapeutic aspects of secure environments. Implications: We suggest shifting professional’s focus from changing inmate behaviours to the creation of “safe spaces”or atmospheres within prison which will allow inmates the opportunity for emotional authenticity and the exploration of non-criminal selves