‘This is not what I signed up for’ – Danish prison officers’ attitudes towards more punitive penal policies

A humane approach to punishment has been integral to the work of the Danish Prisons and Probation Service. However, Danish penal policy has recently taken a punitive turn. What happens when punitive policies are adopted by a penal regime built on a humane approach to punishment? To address this ques...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Punishment & society 2023-04, Vol.25 (2), p.430-448
Main Author: Damsa, Dorina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Correctional personnel
Criminal justice policy
Decision making
Noncitizens
Penal policy
Prison officers
Prisons
Probation
Probation service
Professional identity
Punishment
Welfare services
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Summary:A humane approach to punishment has been integral to the work of the Danish Prisons and Probation Service. However, Danish penal policy has recently taken a punitive turn. What happens when punitive policies are adopted by a penal regime built on a humane approach to punishment? To address this question, this article focuses on prison officers at Vestre prison and how they adapt to punitive political decisions and prison policies. The increased focus on security in Danish prisons is considered, together with limitations set on welfare services available to non-citizen prisoners. Examination of officers’ subjectivities at Vestre prison shows that punitive penal policies have produced an environment fraught with tensions that affect prison work, institutional culture, and the officers’ professional identity. These findings also raise questions about the shifting nature of Danish penal power.
ISSN:1462-4745
1741-3095
DOI:10.1177/14624745211068870