Participation in prison programmes

Encouraging and discouraging factors

author Dorien Brosens
journal GERN (ISSN: )
volume 2013
issue 1. Crime, Violence, Justice and Social Order
section Article
publicatie datum 2 juillet 2013
langue English
pagina 275
keywords barriers, motivation, prison activities
abstract

This study aims to provide a literature review of the motivations and barriers of prison inmates to participate in education, vocational training, sports, wellbeing and health, and cultural activities. The majority of studies concerning prison activities focus on positive outcomes such as contribution to self-worth, better health, and reduction in recidivism. The purpose of the present study is to investigate prisoners’ motivations and barriers to participation in prison programmes. Therefore, this paper draws on a systematic literature review and qualitative content analysis. In total, 22 studies were retrieved and analysed. The motivations and barriers are situated in an ecological framework, with categorisation on the micro-, meso-, exo-, and macro-level. The results indicate that research on the participation of prisoners is rather scarce, especially in relation to determinants on the meso- and macro-level. In conclusion, substantial attention is paid to outlining possible implications and guidelines for future research.