Citation

van Ginneken EF. Int. J. Offender Ther. Comp. Criminol. 2014; 60(2): 208-227.

Affiliation

Liverpool Hope University, UK vangine@hope.ac.uk.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0306624X14548531

PMID

25182466

Abstract

The literature on prison effects is characterised by a focus on negative outcomes. There is a need to acknowledge individual differences. The theme of posttraumatic growth emerged in a subsample of interviews from a study on psychological adjustment in prison. The narratives of this subsample (six female, first-time prisoners) were used to explore the phenomenon of posttraumatic growth during imprisonment. It is argued that the initial shock of incarceration challenged these prisoners' assumptive worlds, but they managed to overcome this crisis by finding meaning in the prison experience and using it as an opportunity for personal development. This facilitated a positive reconstruction of their identity. The potential implications of posttraumatic growth for desistance are discussed.

Language: en