Introduction: The Deathscapes of Incarceration
| Date | 01 September 2016 |
| Published date | 01 September 2016 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/hojo.12169 |
| Author | EVI GIRLING,LIZZIE SEAL |
The Howard Journal Vol55 No 3. September 2016 DOI: 10.1111/hojo.12169
ISSN 2059-1098, pp. 267–277
Introduction: The Deathscapes
of Incarceration
EVI GIRLING and LIZZIE SEAL
Evi Girling is Senior Lecturer in Criminology, School of Social Science and
Public Policy, Keele University; Lizzie Seal is Senior Lecturer in
Criminology, University of Sussex
This special issue is dedicated to reflections on the deathscapes of incar-
ceration, bringing together contributions that explore death either as an
unintentional result of incarceration, or as its probable, or inevitable, con-
sequence. Deathscapes in recent work by human geographers encompass
‘places associated with death and for the dead and their meanings and
associations’ (Maddrell and Sidaway 2012, p.5). Imprisonment can be said
to be one of those sites/conditions where death and bereavement are inten-
sified; for those inside (especially the vulnerable, old, ill, or life prisoners)
the spacetime of prison (see Moran 2012) is inscribed with the prospect of
death, the contemplation of death and with the deaths of others. In some
contexts (such as life without parole (LWOP) and life-limited sentences)
prisons are also part of a penal deathscape, marking the production of
naturalised death in punishment and the memorialisation of life and death
in penal hell holes in popular culture (Jewkes 2014).
The articles in this special issue arise from a one-day seminar held
in London in September 2014 entitled ‘The Cultural Life of Death in
Punishment’, which was funded by the Socio-Legal Studies Association and
convened by the editors. This one-day seminar brought together scholars
working on sociocultural aspects of encountering death in punishment in
its varied manifestations. ‘Death in punishment’ encompasses all instances
in which death occurs in, or through, penal practices and institutions,
such as executions, dying on death row, LWOP/whole life tariff, suicide in
prison, ageing/dying in prison, and unexplained death in prison/custody.
The intention of the conveners was to encourage conversations between
the academic silos of death penalty and incarceration. The interchange
between life and death in punishment indicates that there are several
areas of productive crossings and synergies. Examples include: hope and
hopelessness in penal institutions; end-of-life management within penal
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2016 The Howard League and John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK
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