John Sunley Prize winner 2016 – Victor Chu

John Sunley Prize winner 2016

Greying Behind Bars: The Older Male Offender’s Experience of Prison Life and Preparations for Resettlement

Victor Chu, University of Cambridge

This is a single-site qualitative study of older male prisoners in an open prison. It found that the experience of imprisonment for older males is extremely complex and that despite enduring exacerbated prison pains on account of their age, many prisoners survived their sentence, utilising innovative coping strategies. The dissertation also found that while older prisoners were generally positive about the future, many found themselves unprepared for resettlement, in terms of accommodation and employment prospects upon release. Finally, the dissertation made findings on the segregation/integration debate, arguing that a strong case exists for older prisoner units.

Read the article here.