Clocked and Locked In: The Prisonization of Street-Level Bureaucrats

• In Event: 20859 - Prisons and the Production of Lives and Deaths

Abstract

This paper advances a theoretical framework that analyzes carceral institutions as sites of profound isomorphism, extending beyond the structural conformities identified by Rubin (2015) to encompass the realm of social practice. Building upon Rubin's findings regarding the diffusion of penal structural conformity, this framework posits that isomorphic pressures are instrumental in the normalization of carceral practices, shaping interactions, relationships, social climate, and power dynamics within these institutions. Specifically, it argues that isomorphism forges the sociality of the penal field – including professional norms, expectations, and perspectives among correctional officers – as these agents navigate ideal, pragmatic, and mimetic models to cultivate shared habits and customs in their professional practice.

This framework is foundational to the author's dissertation, which investigates the 'prisonization' of correctional officers. By extending the conception of prisons as isomorphic fields (Rubin 2015) characterized by homogeneity not only in structure but also in their social qualities, this framework traces, from a neo-institutional perspective, both the context and the process through which officers construct, adapt to, practice, and internalize penal norms and values. Integrating Page’s (2013) analysis of the ‘penal field,’ this framework analyzes the impact of officers' professional environment, practices, interactions, and relationships on their potential maladaptation to the penal field’s doxa, ultimately leading to their subjection to prisonization. This approach offers a nuanced understanding of the social forces at play within prisons and their impact on staff, moving beyond purely structural analyses to incorporate the crucial role of ‘social isomorphism’ in shaping individual and collective behaviors and perpetuating the characteristics of the penal field.

Author

• Hannah Glimpse Nario Lopez, University at Buffalo