Boundaries of the prison order : Assignment, identity negotiation and surveillance in short-term prisons ; Les « frontières » de l'ordre carcéral : Affectation, négociation des identités et surveillance en maison d'arrêt

Abstract

Abstract: This thesis deals with the practices of assigning detainees inside short-term prisons. Our findings are based on an ethnographic survey in men's prisons. We examine the ways in which order is produced through observing prison warders' practices – ways in which prisoners are classified, categorized, assigned and monitored. The analysis takes also into account the observed practices from the inmates' perspective. By combining the study of the modes of identifying inmates with how the detention sectors are organized, this study wants to show that space management also shapes individual "careers" within the institution.To this end, it analyses the ways in which the prison order is produced in relation to its external environment, and in particular the prisoners' territories of origin.Three approaches are put to the test: one focuses on the study of the arrivals' quarters; another one revolves around the assignment practices as they are implemented and perceived; the third one eventually looks at the implementation of prison intelligence. These entry points make it possible to grasp the way in which prison practices and categories filter, i.e. select, information on the external environment of the institution but also on the trajectory of prisoners. The reconfiguration of surveillance practices in the light of contemporary reforms of penal confinement will therefore be examined from this perspective. The material used in this study is the result of a nine-month ethnographic survey in two short-term prisons in different French regions. It combines the observation of professional practices in detention and the role of professionals in assignment commissions. It is also based on semi-directive interviews conducted with detainees, supervisory and management staff. ; Résumé : Cette thèse porte sur les pratiques d'affectation des détenus à l'intérieur des maisons d'arrêt. À partir d'une enquête ethnographique dans deux établissements pour hommes, elle interroge les modalités de production de l'ordre à l'appui de ...