Exploring trust and distrust with women in and after prison
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring trust and distrust with women in and after prison
IRAS ID
332406
Contact name
Fleur Riley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Durham University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
PSYCH-2023-06-29T12_03_32_tlwr48, Ethics approval, Durham University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Trust is crucial for social cooperation and relationship building. It has long been acknowledged that staff-prisoner relationships are central to prison functioning and criminal justice outcomes. Trusting relationships between prisoners and staff can facilitate cooperation and rehabilitative engagement, while cultures of distrust can contribute to experiences of re-traumatisation and re-victimisation. While trusting staff-prisoner relationships are commonly attributed a role of crucial importance, the concept of trust is poorly defined and under-researched. Furthermore, trust theory suggests that control, power and autonomy can impact trust in complex ways, but these interactions are not well understood.
Issues of trust are particularly pertinent within the women’s prison estate. Many women in prison have experienced chronic trauma and abuse, often perpetrated by known and ‘trusted’ others, which acutely impedes women’s ability to develop trusting relationships. However, little is understood about the impact of past victimisation and trauma on criminalised women’s trust in the justice system, or how trust (or distrust) in the criminal justice system influences women’s engagement with its officials, practices, and rehabilitative services.
This study will explore issues of trust and distrust with criminalised women, aiming to establish what trust means to these women within the context of criminal justice, the factors affecting trust and distrust in prison, and its impact on rehabilitative engagement. The qualitative approach will be guided by feminist theory and ethics. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with 10-20 women, either in prison or within one-year post-release. Data will be recorded and transcribed verbatim, and thematically analysed. Findings will contribute to understanding trust in criminal justice settings, and how this impacts women’s justice outcomes. Findings could inform criminal justice policy and practice, and possible interventions for improving women’s criminal justice experiences and rehabilitative outcomes.
REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
23/WA/0269
Date of REC Opinion
11 Jan 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion