Living under penal measures? An exploration of the execution of institutional therapeutic measures in an open institution.

• In Event: Mental Health Panel 1: Mental Health, Crime, and Institutional Responses

Abstract

Our contribution aims to discuss the initial reflections and analytical perspectives emerging from an ethnographic study conducted within an open establishment in Switzerland specialized in the treatment of mental disorders for inmates placed under the special regime of institutional therapeutic measures.
Through the critical lens of the researcher and the use of observational narratives, this study seeks to capture and convey the perspectives of both those who live within the institution and those who sustain its daily operations. This institution serves a highly specific transitional role, bridging the gap between closed environments and placements in facilities less focused on penal measures.
A key focus of our inquiry is the ambiguous and fluid boundary between inside and outside, challenging the often-presumed opposition between these two spheres.
This intervention calls for a broader understanding of confinement, which is frequently equated with incarceration, and sheds light on an institution implementing penal measures in an open setting. It aims to render visible a population that remains largely rendered invisible and perceived as outside the system due to their placement beyond prison walls, yet still deeply embedded within the structures of the criminal justice system.

Author

• Valentin Refondini, Université de Lausanne - Ecole des sciences criminelles