Caring in the Clink: How Agents of Total Institutions Show Empathy for Captives

• In Event: 175 - Regular Session. Control and Agency in Organizations

Abstract

The notion that agents of total institutions disregard caring for captives is widespread. It rests on the repeated documentation of such instances (e.g., most recently at Abu Ghraib) and on the fact that total institutions harbor strong obstacles to care such as in-group/out-group divide and power imbalance between agents and captives. Yet how agents of total institutions can respond with empathy towards captives remains largely unexplored. Through a multi-phase qualitative study of 113 correctional officers of US state prisons, we show how agents of total institutions can care for captives. More specifically, we first establish that officers demonstrate a spectrum of responses to captives’ needs and suffering, including empathetic responses. Second, we document sets of practices aimed at (a) leveling differences between agents and captives, (b) relinquishing power towards captives, and (c) shielding agents from the negative emotions triggered by captives—all of which seem to increase the likelihood of care. Building on appraisal theory of emotion (Lazarus, 1991), we develop a theoretical model of how agents of total institutions show empathy towards captives, arguing that these practices lower obstacles to care by shaping agents’ appraisal of the captives’ situation and their own capability to help.

Authors

• Katherine DeCelles

• Michel Anteby, Boston University