Book review: Positive Growth And Redemption In Prison Finding Light Behind Bars And Beyond
| Author | Ian Macfadyen |
| DOI | 10.1177/0264550520934332a |
| Published date | 01 September 2020 |
| Date | 01 September 2020 |
Positive Growth And Redemption In Prison Finding Light
Behind Bars And Beyond
Lila Kazemian
Routledge; 2019, pp.244; £92; hbk
ISBN: 978-1-138-31256-2
Reviewed by: Ian Macfadyen, Her Majesty’s Prison Inspectorate
This book, also known as TheFrenchPrisonStudy, examines the experiences of
58 long-term prisoners, using surveys along with in-depth interviews, during
custody and after release. The author, Lila Kazemian is a Persian–Canadian
criminologist who teaches at a university in New York. The purpose of the book
is, ‘to shed light on some of the transformation experienced that may emerge
from time spent in prison and to conceptualise the process of desistence and
positive growth in the context of incarceration’. (p. 52) The author aims to
‘provide insights for academic research, policy, practice and for those directly
impacted by imprisonment’ (p. 6).
The book is well written and carefully researched; using concepts such as
adversarial growth and by applying the contrasting definitions of desistence nar-
rative and persistence narrative, Kazemian presents an optimistic view of human
nature and argues how, even in the least auspicious circumstances, prisoners can
make constructive use of their time in custody. She describes this process lyrically as
the ‘lotus phenomenon’, stemming from the Buddhist tradition in which ‘the lotus
flower represents a symbol of growth in the face of adversity and suffering. The lotus
flower grows and flourishes in muddy water’ (p. 97).
Kazemian explains how the absence of a ‘culture of research’ in French Prisons,
resulted in her having problems with access and attempts to restrict the range of
her interview questions (p. 20). This meant she eventually gained entry to only one
of the three prisons originally planned, as well as having to reduce the sample
from over 400 to 58 (p. 23). As a consequence, Kazemian uses her survey data,
mainly for descriptive purposes and has to draw heavily on the narrative accounts
gained through her use of semi-structured interviews, for most of her evidence (p.
25). The lack of a wide evidence base presents a problem for Kazemian in vali-
dating her principal tenet, about the potential for positive growth. ‘Although this
trend may not be captured in aggregate analyses, individual stories paint a dif-
ferent picture’ (p. 210). It is notable that contact is made with participants both
during the custodial phase and post release, however the limitations of the sam-
pling become even clearer, when we consider that most of the narrative accounts,
appear to be based on only two rounds of interviews (p. 23).
Kazemian carried out the fieldwork herself, excerpts from the accounts given by
prisoners are often vivid, and it is clear the author is skilled at obtaining detailed
and sensitive information from her subjects. While listening to prisoners
Book reviews 299
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