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.
This poster was presented at the Humanities and Social Sciences Student Virtual Poster Conference (April 9, 2021) with support from the HiPE Committee (Douglas College). Homelessness is a growing problem and criminalization is a current method in dealing with it. Alternative measures, such as housing first, are not common. The literature on this topic has little focus on the perspective of community members and how they understand the issue of homeless criminalization. This research project attempts to fill part of this gap by performing a content analysis on how the Youtube community frames the issue of homeless criminalization. Three themes were divulged from the data: political (polarized tension between political ideologies), economic (how money should be allocated), and social (concepts of social class, society, and religion). These themes connect through the concept of blameworthiness. The Youtube commenters did not seem to agree with the concept of criminalizing homelessness.
