Doctoral Dissertation Research: Penal Transformations and Politics in New South Wales and Pennsylvania

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

This research explores broad changes in state politics related to the re-emergence of imprisonment as a major social policy since the 1970s and how these changes affected the possibilities of penal reform. Specifically, it focuses on how the increased use of imprisonment transformed the management and internal order of prisons and how this related to other areas of state governance in two jurisdictions, New South Wales and Pennsylvania. Several questions will guide this research: How did the visibility of prisons and their role in state politics change during this period and what effect this did this have on prison operations? How were prison regimes reorganized after the decline of rehabilitation and what were the penal philosophies informing such changes? How did actors select and adapt correctional practices from other jurisdictions and what were the effects of this borrowing? How did the changes inside prisons parallel reforms in state government and other areas of social policy? The theory motivating this research treats prisons as an integral part of state politics rather than as isolated institutions, and it also explores the movement of penal practices across jurisdictional borders. By the 1970s, prison issues attracted more public attention than they had for decades, becoming a centerpiece of contention between political parties that were gradually converging on many other issues. This was particularly evident during public inquiries into scandals and corruption involving prisons, which often discredited practices and officials. Inquiries also created openings for major reforms, penal experimentation, and transferring practices from other jurisdictions. Despite large differences between Pennsylvania and New South Wales, each state experienced volatile penal politics and adopted some similar practices. This research will explore whether the greater visibility of prison issues helped institute many reforms, particularly those borrowed from other jurisdictions. The primary method for this project will be archival research supplemented with interviews.