The importance of the principle of “Resozialisierung” for the quality of prison life

• In Event: PWG - Prison climate, well-being, and quality of prison life

Abstract

The legally enshrined principle of “Resozialisierung” is the central objective of the Swiss penal system. This paper discusses how this objective and its implementation affect living and working conditions in a Swiss prison. The analysis is based on Liebling's "Measuring the Quality of Prison Life (MQPL)". For the Swiss adaptation, specific questions on rehabilitation were added, whose validity and empirical relevance are critically examined in this discussion.
The study reveals an ambivalent picture: while many aspects of the social climate in the institutions studied are rated positively, rehabilitation scores significantly lower. Qualitative interviews with prisoners and staff confirm this discrepancy: prisoners complain about the lack of effective rehabilitation measures, while staff sometimes question their practical feasibility.

These findings raise fundamental questions: Is rehabilitation a realistic goal or does it remain a symbolic aspiration? What structural and human factors hinder its implementation? And how does frustration with the lack of rehabilitation measures affect the social climate within prisons? This paper explores these questions from a criminological perspective and critically reflects on whether positive assessments of the social climate are sufficient as an indicator of a fair and humane prison system. Finally, we argue for further research that explicitly examines the credibility and conditions necessary for effective rehabilitation.

Authors

• Ineke Regina Pruin, University of Bern

• David Peregrin Mühlemann, Universität Bern

• Jacqueline Kolb, University of Bern