Control Function or Loss of Control? An Interpretative Pattern Analysis of Placement Decisions in Open Prisons

Abstract

The daily work routine in correctional facilities is characterised by risk assessments and complex decisions, one of which is choosing the appropriate form of detention. Due to media debates about incidents occurring in open detention and an increasing attribution of erroneous decisions to individual responsibility, this choice poses a particular challenge. This raises the question of how placement decisions are made within the prison system and what interpretative patterns are used to legitimise these decisions.

To investigate this, placement decisions for open detention were examined through a sequential analysis of correctional plans from 15 inmate files to reconstruct frameworks of order as well as interpretative patterns from a sociology of knowledge perspective. In total, four interpretative patterns were identified: Learning environment, Overwhelm, Differentiation from others, and Criminality as a character trait.

The analysis shows that the open prison is characterised by a tension between freedom and security, where the form of detention – depending on the interpretative pattern – functions either as a control mechanism or entails loss of control. Furthermore, it highlights how strongly social control is embedded in the penal system and how the attribution of social problems serves to legitimise decisions.