Garrihy, Joe and Marder, Ian D. and Gilheaney, Patricia
(2023)
‘Cocooning’ in prison during COVID-19: Findings from recent research in Ireland.
European Journal of Criminology, 20 (3).
pp. 996-1015.
ISSN 1477-3708
Abstract
The advent of COVID-19 prompted the enforced isolation of elderly and vulnerable populations
around the world, for their own safety. For people in prison, these restrictions risked compounding the isolation and harm they experienced. At the same time, the pandemic created barriers to
prison oversight when it was most needed to ensure that the state upheld the rights and wellbeing
of those in custody. This article reports findings from a unique collaboration in Ireland between
the Office of the Inspector of Prisons – a national prison oversight body – and academic criminologists. Early in the pandemic, they cooperated to hear the voices of people ‘cocooning’ –
isolated because of their advanced age or a medical vulnerability – in Irish prisons by providing
journals to this cohort, analysing the data, and encouraging the Irish Prison Service to change practices accordingly. The findings indicated that ‘cocooners’ were initially ambivalent about these new
restrictions, both experiencing them as a punishment akin to solitary confinement, and understanding the goal of protection. As time passed, however, participants reported a drastic impact
on their mental and physical health, and implications for their (already limited) agency and relationships with others, experienced more or less severely depending on staff and management practices. The paper also discusses the implications for prison practices during and following the
pandemic, understanding isolation in the penological context, and collaboration between prison
oversight bodies and academics.
| Item Type: |
Article
|
| Keywords: |
prisons; COVID-19; cocooning; shielding; prison oversight; prison life; isolation; |
| Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Social Sciences > Law |
| Item ID: |
18724 |
| Identification Number: |
https://doi.org/10.1177/14773708221132888 |
| Depositing User: |
Joe Garrihy
|
| Date Deposited: |
11 Jul 2024 09:30 |
| Journal or Publication Title: |
European Journal of Criminology |
| Publisher: |
Sage Publications |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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