Informal Taxonomies of Inmates from Juvenile Detention Centers and Juveniles’ Shelters Created by Personnel in the Context of Resocialization Actions

Abstract

The main aim of this paper is to draw attention to the phenomenon of creating informal taxonomies by the personnel of correctional institutions (ZP) and shelters for juveniles (SdN) towards charges in relation to social rehabilitation work. It discusses both the mechanisms of creating such classifications as well as the consequences associated with them. The article defends the thesis that this type of stigmatization is on the one hand a natural phenomenon, because it is based on the mechanism of analogy, to a large extent unconscious, typical for educational institutions, but on the other hand dependent in its form on the adopted style of institution management. It also discusses the problem of multiple consequences of taxonomies. The results presented in this paper are based on seven years qualitative research carried out in social rehabilitation centers of all types throughout Poland. The research applied the principle of triangulation in the scope of methods, the researcher and data. To analyze empirical data an interpretative paradigm was used, which enables to see the interactive nature of the formation of negative emotions and emotional work.

Keywords

• stigmatization
• juvenile delinquents
• correctional institutions
• total institutions
• interaction
• social rehabilitation