The role of capital in white-collar offenders’ reentry

• In Event: White-collar offenders after criminal justice involvement

Abstract

Another perspective on the performance of ex-convicts following release is offered by the Bourdieusian notion of capital. As white-collar offenders strive to re-enter social roles in the community, their social, cultural, and economic assets might be vital to successful reintegration and set them apart from the released street offenders, who often lack such resources. To understand the workings of capital, I study the accounts of 13 formerly imprisoned politicians and businesspeople in Poland. The inductive analysis reveals how these upper-world convicts leverage what is left of their connections, money, and reputation to navigate the altered circumstances on the outside. The data shows that rebuilding their prior position was often contingent on the logic of their field; for instance, ‘the rules of the game’ proved particularly unwelcoming for convicted lawyers, whereas many former politicians smoothly transitioned into the world of business, where a criminal record was less of a liability. Generally, social standing before the conviction was predictive of later readaptation – the more power the subject initially held, the better he or she fared after release. The major conclusion is the immutable nature of privilege throughout the criminal career of a white-collar offender, reaching as far as the correctional system and beyond.

Author

• Andrzej Uhl, Cambridge University