Sounding out d/Deafness: the experiences of d/Deaf prisoners
| Date | 05 February 2018 |
| Pages | 20-32 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCP-03-2017-0015 |
| Published date | 05 February 2018 |
| Author | Laura Margaret Kelly |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Criminal psychology,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Deviant behaviour,Public policy & environmental management,Policing,Criminal justice |
Sounding out d/Deafness: the
experiences of d/Deaf prisoners
Laura Margaret Kelly
Abstract
Purpose –Thepurpose of this paperis to provide an insightinto the livedrealities of d/Deafprisonersin England
and Wales, andto explore previous claims that they suffer disproportionatelyduring their time in custody.
Design/methodology/approach –For the purposes of this study, a qualitative approach was taken.
As part of this, 28 semi-structured interviews were carried out at seven adult male prisons in England with
a sample of male hard of hearing/d/Deaf prisoners, and staff members who had worked with them.
The interviews were recorded using a Dictaphone, and then transcribed as close to verbatim as possible.
From this, the transcriptions were analysed using thematic analysis. In addition to interviews, observations
were made at each establishment, and later recorded in a fieldwork journal.
Findings –Findings from the study showed that the way a d/Deaf person experiences prison depends
strongly on the way in which they identify with their d/Deafness. However, it was also shown that there is little
room for either deafness or Deafness in prison, with severely deaf and culturally and linguistically Deaf
prisoners commonly experiencing the pains of imprisonment more severely than their hearing peers as a
result of the Prison Service’s inability to accommodate such difference.
Originality/value –This study fused together the fields of Deaf Studies and Prison Studies in a way that had
not been done before, considering d/Deafness in prison on both an audiological and cultural level. Moreover,
excluding small-scale unpublished undergraduate dissertations, it was the first empirical study about d/Deaf
prisoners in England and Wales to carry out face-to-face interviews with these prisoners. Finally, as the most
in-depth research is yet to be carried out about these particular prisoners in England and Wales, a greater
level of insight was provided than previously available.
Keywords Communication, Prison, Prisoners, Deaf, Sound
Paper type Research paper
The majority of existing prison research has been focussed on the type of prisoner that prison
was initially designed for and continues primarily to contain; the young able-bodied lower class
male (Cheney, 2005). However, increasing attention is now being given to individuals who do not
fit this mould, including female, older and foreign national prisoners (see e.g. Scott and Codd,
2010; Phillips, 2012; Moore and Scraton, 2013; Mann, 2016). As a result of this, it has become
apparent that these prisoners experience prison differently and often feel the pains of
imprisonment more intensely than their peers, despite being theoretically protected by the
Equality Act (2010) which places a legal duty on public bodies such as the Prison Service to
exercise their functions in a way that is designed to reduce inequality. Although the experiences
of certain minority groups in prison have already been examined at length, meaningful
consideration is rarely given to the lived realities of prisoners who are hard of hearing (HoH) or
d/Deaf. This paper focusses on the experiences of these prisoners, using findings from doctoral
research which examined the topic of d/Deafness in prison.
The use of “d/D”is important here, as while many hearing people view those who are d/Deaf as
simply having the misfortune to live in a world without sound (Lane et al., 1996; Ladd, 2003);
d/Deafness is, in fact, much more complex than this. The extent to which a person is d/Deaf
varies significantly from those whose hearing is only slightly impaired, to individuals who are
severely deaf, and finally to those who are profoundly and culturally Deaf. Although there
are different ways of categorising these levels of d/Deafness, in this context, HoH refers to
individuals with mild to moderate hearing loss who may have difficulty following speech without
Received 7 March 2017
Revised 1 June 2017
14 June 2017
Accepted 28 June 2017
Dr Laura Margaret Kelly is a
Lecturer in Criminology at the
Lancashire Law School,
University of Central
Lancashire, Preston, UK.
PAG E 20
j
JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY
j
VOL. 8 NO. 1 2018, pp. 20-32, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2009-3829 DOI 10.1108/JCP-03-2017-0015
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