Prison sociology

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As a branch of organizational sociology, prison sociology is one of the special sociologies, but is also part of socialization research and criminology . It has its origins in US social research (“prison sociology”) and has hardly been practiced since around 1970 because it was committed to the traditional sociological role theory .

Prison sociologists examined the role behavior and role relationship of prisoners and staff in (almost exclusively US-American) correctional facilities and also observed the effects of prisonization . The classic description of the total institution by Erving Goffman is understood as a contribution to prison sociology.

literature

Classic texts
  • Hans Reimer: Socialition in Prison , 1937
  • Donald Clemmer: The Prison Community , New York 1904 (2nd edition 1958)
  • Gresham M. Sykes : The Society of Captives: A Study of a Maximum Security Prison , Princeton University Press, 1958 (further editions 1971, 1974).
German-language summary
  • Steffen Harbordt: The subculture of the prison. A sociological study on rehabilitation , Ferdinand Enke Verlag, 2nd edition, Stuttgart 1972.