A Matter of Time (2024, Routledge), an event co-hosted by the Department of Sociology and the Criminal Justice Centre (CJC). The event will consist of a presentation of the book by Silvia, followed by responses from Anastasia Chamberlen (University of Warwick) and Loraine Gelsthorpe (University of Cambridge),

Abstract

This book explores the gendered reentry experiences of incarcerated men and women who are about to be released from prisons in Portugal. It reveals how men and women narrate and attribute meaning to their time in prison and how they navigate their ‘prisoner’ and ‘gendered’ identities. In doing so, this book demonstrates the importance of these identities in relation to recidivism and desistance, whilst also questioning the role incarceration has in further criminalising and obstructing individuals’ reentry process. It puts forward recommendations that aim to improve the lives of all incarcerated individuals within the current system, in addition to advocating for decarceration and prison abolition. It presents a novel contribution to the internationalisation of knowledge across multiple disciplinary subfields, namely critical reentry studies and feminist criminology, filling a gap in the current knowledge as few studies focus on prison experiences as a core aspect of understanding the reentry process. An accessible and compelling read, this book will appeal to students and scholars of criminology, sociology, law, desistance studies, and those interested in gaining a unique insight into the experience of incarcerated individuals.