Open prisons, prison staff and prison work: exploring the distinct physical and social milieu of the open prison and the cultural adaptation to a different kind of prison work

This thesis took an ethnographic approach to exploring the male open prison in the UK. It provides a rich picture of the distinct physical and social milieu of these establishments and how staff adapt to and navigate the challenges of prison work from the perspective of prison staff. This thesis argues that the distinct social and physical milieu of the open prison has implications for the work undertaken there and on the staff that perform this. Yet this distinctiveness and, therefore, its impact is not widely acknowledged in either academic literature or penal policy in the UK. Processes of adaptation to this distinct environment vary for staff; whilst an entirely new occupational culture is not presented, values and norms are adopted in different ways. Officers adopt different approaches within the cultural orientations presented to address the ‘spoiled identity’ created by the distinct physical and social milieu including storytelling and a focus on the real difference the work they undertake can make to prisoners and the wider community. Finally, this thesis argues that elements of the way in which power and authority are deployed to maintain order in the open setting are in some ways distinct, but also share some similarities with closed settings despite its distinct nature. These similarities with traditional forms of control can and do create conflict that staff find different ways to manage. The wider implications of the distinct social and physical milieu on the aims of resettlement and reintegration, and the different approaches to prison work in the open setting are considered across the UK penal system more broadly.