Horton, Alicia D.

Canada’s correctional institutions are largely private and hidden from public view; because of this, much of the public gets their information regarding the criminal justice system from popular media. As it stands, there is a lack of research regarding the portrayal of correctional guards in popular media. A large portion of research pertaining to correctional guards is focused on how guards are portrayed in news media rather than popular media. The existing research into correctional guards in news presents them in a negative light with a tendency to focus on non-prisoner harassment, crime unrelated to the job, and budgetary issues (Vickovic et al., 2013). This thesis presents the result of qualitative exploratory study using content analysis as a means of understanding how correctional guards are portrayed in popular media. Ten of the top thirty grossing prison films released between 1994 and 2024 were analyzed thematically using grounded theory methods. The results show that correctional guards are generally portrayed as violent, aggressive, lazy, and lack respect for the prisoners. The significance of this study not only includes adding to popular criminology research but also offering a potential explanation for some motivations of becoming a correctional guard and explaining the gendered aspects of the ways in which correctional guards are portrayed and implications that may have on prisoners. Future implications of this study include contributing to the literature surrounding prisoning, correctional guards, and popular criminology and transforming people’s views and perceptions regarding correctional guards by pointing out protentional inaccuracies.

This study explores the complex relationship between alcohol use and occupational identity among musicians working within nightlife venues in Vancouver, British Columbia. While prior research has examined alcohol consumption in the hospitality sector, little attention has been paid to musicians as a distinct labor group operating within similarly permissive and criminogenic environments. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with active musicians, this research investigates how alcohol functions within the music industry, as a social lubricant, coping mechanism, reputational tool, and workplace expectation. The study applies Erving Goffman’s (1959) dramaturgical model to understand how musicians perform identity in alcohol-saturated spaces, and Sampson and Laub’s (1993) life course theory to examine patterns of desistance over time. Findings reveal that alcohol use is deeply embedded in the professional and cultural expectations surrounding live performance, with drinking often seen as integral to networking, performance energy, and audience engagement. However, many participants also expressed increasing awareness of the long-term personal and professional consequences of sustained alcohol use, leading some to reject or renegotiate their relationship with alcohol. By situating musicians within broader criminological frameworks, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of how occupational contexts shape behavior and identity in high-risk cultural industries

This study used in-depth qualitative interviews from six participants to understand prison activists’ perceptions of the prison system and their strategies for enacting change. A constructionist lens was used to analyze the data with Joel Best’s (2017) social problems theory. Prisons were framed and problematized by the activists based on systemic issues of colonization, mental health and substance use, CSC misconduct, and cultural attitudes towards punishment. Lack of public awareness, and in educational environments, towards these issues led to strategies of education in order to build communities that are more inclusive, caring, and connected. Strategies like advocating for trauma informed care and connecting non- incarcerated with incarcerated were examples of community building. The activists also experienced challenges in their work with negotiating relationships - in particular, the fear of helping, frustration in managing the complexities of activism, and moving forward despite challenges in their work. Therefore, Goffman’s (1959) theory of presentations of self was another useful theoretical lens. The findings suggest that prison activists use different framing strategies depending on the context of the situation and how they want to present themselves. Furthermore, the strategic and covert methods for enacting change diverge from traditional activist methods and aim to create change at an individual level.