Description
In Belgium, 44% of the prison population has a foreign nationality. 65% of these prisoners do not have the right to stay in Belgium and are facing expulsion during or after their incarceration period. How prison officers perceive and work with foreign national prisoners needs exploration as still little is known about this. The purpose of this study is to explore prison officers’ lived experiences in perceiving and working with the foreign national prison population. This study draws on data from the FIP2-project (Foreigners’ Involvement and Participation in Prison). Using a qualitative approach, 27 semi-structured interviews have been conducted with prison officers spread over 4 prisons in Flanders (Belgium). During the interviews the strengths-based approach of Appreciative Inquiry was used. The findings of our thematic analysis suggest that one group of prison officers underline that they have good knowledge of the foreign national prison population, while another group mention that you cannot base yourself on prisoners’ appearance, attitudes, language or religion. The biggest challenges experienced by prison officers in working with foreign national prisoners are related to language and cultural differences. In conclusion, limitations of the study, paths for future research and implications for policy and practice are presented.| Periode | 18 sep 2019 → 21 sep 2021 |
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| Evenementstitel | 19th Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology: Convergent roads, bridges and new pathways in criminology |
| Evenementstype | Conference |
| Locatie | Gent, Belgium |