Reform, Resistance and Managerial Clawback: The Evolution of ‘Reform Prisons’ in England

Abstract

Abstract: In late modernity, prison policy and practice have been characterised as being structured by punitiveness and managerialism. Recent research on prison reform has focused on the pervasiveness of punitiveness, but the resilience of managerialism is equally important in understanding contemporary penality. The creation of ‘reform prisons’ in England, offered an attempt to reimagine managerialism, where prison managers would act with greater autonomy, freed up from centralised policy prescription and monitoring of compliance. The article explores how this reform developed in practice. Particular attention is paid to the retreat from the original intentions and the emergence of a counter-reformation, reasserting the centralised, managerial hegemony. It is concluded that while attention has been paid to punitiveness, the existence of a carceral habitus, and the process of carceral clawback, managerialism also plays a central role in shaping contemporary penality, and it is important to draw attention to a managerial habitus and managerial clawback.