Inclusionary control? Theorizing the effects of penal voluntary organizations’ work

Recent penal policy developments in many jurisdictions suggest an increasing role for voluntary organizations. Voluntary organizations have long worked alongside penal institutions, but the multifaceted ways their programmes affect (ex-)offenders remain insufficiently understood. This article addresses the implications of voluntary organizations’ work with (ex-)offenders, using original empirical data. It adds nuance to netwidening theory, reframing the effects of voluntary organizations’ work as inclusionary and exclusionary. Exclusionary effects sometimes have inclusionary aspects, and inclusionary effects are constrained by a controlling carceral net. We propose the novel concept of inclusionary control. This is not an alibi for punishment but enables rich analysis of the effects of voluntary organizations’ work, and raises possibilities for change in penal practice

From way across the sea: Information overload and international students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This panel examines the interaction between being a transient migrant, using international students as a salient example, and information behaviors in a time of COVID-19. We address issues such as information overload, selection of information sources, and social networking. The aim of this panel is to bring together interested researchers in the areas of information practices, higher education, and intercultural communication

The Contributions of WhatsApp to Social Inclusion: A Case of Internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria

Part 2: Digital Platforms for DevelopmentInternational audienceThis paper addresses the topic on how WhatsApp can improve the lives of internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by conflict. To theorize the complex relationship between mobile technologies and social inclusion, Sen’s five distinct instrumental freedoms was drawn upon to understand the use of WhatsApp by IDPs affected by Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria and its impact on their social inclusion. Based on a one-week fieldwork of an ongoing research, the case narrative presented both the freedom outcomes afforded the IDPs by the use of WhatsApp and also the impediments that hinder the developmental impact. Finally, we conclude by providing some implications for research and practice