Getting “Rescued”: Arrest and Imprisonment as a ‘Positive Disruption’

• In Event: Criminal Justice Involvement as Disruption

Abstract

Even though the direct and unintended consequences of mass incarceration for prisoners have been well documented, we know almost nothing about the experiences of prisoners who have not been convicted and are serving time in jails and detention centers. This article is based on in-depth interviews and fieldwork with 120 male and female prisoners and 40 staff in four provincial jails in Ontario, Canada. I explore one finding from this research that belies a robust literature on the negative effects of imprisonment--that an arrest can be reframed as rescue. Indeed, while prisoners spoke at length about the myriad ways their lives were disrupted by their sudden incarceration, many recast this disruption in retrospect as a reprieve from their daily living conditions. In this paper, I problematize the jail as a site in which people who struggle with housing, addiction, and mental illness can improve their welfare. I question the ways and conditions under which this ‘positive disruption’ is produced and challenge the benefits of this point of intervention given its setting and temporary nature.

Author

• Holly Pelvin, University of Toronto