Criminology

Fear behind bars

In 1998, doctoral student Marion Vacheret created quite a stir in the halls of this country’s federal penitentiaries, when she spent six months, 12 hours each day, observing the power dynamics between inmates and guards. That’s where she got the idea to focus her doctoral research on victimization and fear in prison facilities. Now a professor at the Université de Montréal’s School of Criminology, Ms Vacheret says that “d etainees have always been very charming and friendly towards me. ” While she herself was never scared, she says that fear is an ever-present emotion for people behind bars.

“Prison staff would always refer to the dangers of prison: ‘Watch out, don’t go there!’ they would say. But their warnings didn’t jive with what I saw around me. I wanted to understand more about the constant talk of this danger lurking within prisons, ” explains the researcher.

Professor Vacheret conducted her research in three medium-security penitentiaries and two provincial prisons. Without any preconceived notions, she examined the perceptions and practices of inmates and prison guards. Her objective was to shed light on the presence or absence of a sense of security, determine attitudes and practices that resulted within this context and analyze the power relationships that come into play. “ The question I wanted to answer was: Do people feel safe in prison? ”

Funding began in May 2003, with the research project currently at the mid-way point. The remaining phase, referred to as quantitative, will consist of interviewing respondents about their perceptions and determining the number and nature of violent acts they have experienced or witnessed while in prison.

The other phase of the research –the qualitative results– is still in preliminary analysis. “ All of the detainees talked about violence, but they minimized it: a few punches here and there. They said it was a normal part of prison life, ” explains Professor Vacheret. But even when violence is not apparent, there is always something looming. “ Violence often takes the form of threats, exploitation or intimidation. ”

The sense of insecurity among inmates is more easily assessed in terms of the strategies they employ to protect themselves against violence. “ You can’t ask a guy in prison if he’s scared, ” the researcher says with a knowing grin. “ But you can see that the need for self-protection is always there. You’re careful about who you talk to, who you hang around with, and you make sure you pay your debts. ”

Prisoners who don’t honour their debts are a major target. In a micro-society where usury plays a large role, an unpaid pack of cigarettes or gram of cocaine can easily be worth double the following week, and it’s not unusual for prisoners to become trapped in a vicious cycle of debt. Ironically, theft and reporting a fellow inmate are among some of the other crimes that are not tolerated.