NCJ Number
231437
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice Volume: 52 Issue: 3 Dated: June 2010 Pages: 303-320
Date Published
June 2010
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This article examines the actual experiences of 350 male youths incarcerated in Canadian prisons to explore how their experiences have been affected by the prison environment.
Abstract
The concept of hegemonic masculinity is a useful tool for critiquing and understanding narrow cultural constructions of masculinity, the diversity of men's real experiences, and the trajectory of power relations among men. One important tenet of the concept is that masculinities are often constructed, maintained, and restructured according to particular social networks in a given environment. Research that has been conducted on the impact of masculine prison environments has tended to focus on traditional adult male prisons. This paper offers a qualitative account of the lived experiences of 350 incarcerated Canadian male youth. It explores how everyday minor acts of subversion, assertions of youthful identity, and masculinity are used to contest and recast the meanings, directions, and restrictions imposed by the institution. The authors draw attention to the various ways in which these youth resist the experience of power, discipline, and formal social control. They highlight the ways in which masculinities and subcultural norms intersect to provide the psychological resources and frameworks within which these young people actively resist the experience of captivity, their captors, and the correctional environment. References (Published Abstract)