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Photographing prisoners: the unworthy, unpleasant and unchanging criminal body

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Abstract

The use of photography in representing the criminal body has long been a focus of interest in the social sciences, especially so when exploring the historical evolution of criminal identification practices. By contributing to the emerging field of visual criminology, this article explores current practices around photography of prisoners in the everyday contexts of the prison space. Drawing on a qualitative study conducted with prisoners, prison guards, and probation officers in 3 Portuguese prisons, we analyse how different social actors construct the criminal body. This construction is explored through the meanings attributed to prisoners’ photographic portraits used for their identification. In particular, we discuss how their photographic documentation acts as a classification device and a visual representation of the criminal. We argue that this representation, by portraying elements of unworthiness, unpleasantness and immutability, play a significant role on parole board’s decisions and produce an embodied sense of identity and perpetuation of stigma. Criminality, body, photography, parole, prison.

Acceptance Date Aug 9, 2018
Publication Date Nov 1, 2019
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Criminology and Criminal Justice
Print ISSN 1748-8958
Publisher SAGE Publications
Pages 591-604
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/1748895818800747
Keywords Body, criminality, parole, photography, prison
Publisher URL https://doi.org/10.1177/1748895818800747

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