Gatekeeper relationships and addressing the InsiderOutsider dichotomy James Taylor School of Health Nursing amp Midwifery University of the West of Scotland Mission of prisons the 3 Cs custody control care Byrne 2005 ID: 541977
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Slide1
Conducting research in a prison environment:
Gatekeeper relationships and addressing the Insider/Outsider dichotomy
James Taylor
School of Health, Nursing & Midwifery University of the West of ScotlandSlide2
Mission of prisons: the 3 Cs – custody, control, care (Byrne 2005)
Core functions open to public inspection…
… but ‘external research’…
Challenges of prison research - Constraints!Prison administrator concernLack of controlMacro and micro impacts
Double stigmatisation
Find the
OPTIMAL
BalancePracticably possible and ethically justifiable
Prisons and ResearchSlide3
Mental & social wellbeing
of veteran prisoners
prior to & during imprisonment
in Scottish prisons
A bit of context:
This was
the research
study…Slide4
Scotland’s prison
locations (at time of study)
Participants:
All male
Veteran prisoners
Non-veteran prisoners
Ex-military SPS staff
Prison locations were a factor in
forming
relationships
PI:
Ex SPS ‘governor grade’
Nearly 10yrs service
Prison and HQ experience
Left to conduct research (PhD) Slide5Slide6Slide7
I thought I was an ‘insider’ – one of the ‘troops’Slide8
Outside the Antithesis of InsideSlide9
ContinuumSlide10
Image courtesy of
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mihoda/3031653010/ under creative commonsSlide11
Image courtesy of
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mihoda/3031653010/
under creative commons
The ‘multidimensional space’: the researcher’s identity , cultural background & relationship to study participants influences how the research is positioned at any given time.(Kerstetter 2012)Slide12
Image courtesy of
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mihoda/3031653010/
under creative commons
The space in-betweenSlide13
Initially welcomed…
But then I thought things changed… but had they?
My ‘insider status was neither absolute or never ending.
To some staff I was always an outsiderTo prisoners I was LITERALLY an outsiderTo staff and prisoners I was not part of their ‘family’ and very much an outsider.Slide14
Bridging the space to build RELATIONSHIPSSlide15
Mental & social wellbeing
of veteran prisoners
prior to & during imprisonment
in Scottish prisons
Aims of the research were sufficient to stimulate interest in small number of key local prison staff. Staff who were literally Gatekeepers: They guarded gates.Slide16Slide17
By Luca
Sartoni
(GatekeeperUploaded
by tm) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsGatekeeper:A small but key group of organisational staff who decide whether research study can take place within the organisation, help facilitate access into the organisation and provide access to data collection. (Broadhead & Rist 1976)Reciprocity is keySlide18
Face to FaceSlide19
Neutralising responses:
Passing requests ‘upstairs’
Needing more information
ForgettingGetting the First HitSlide20
If possible change /drop / look elsewhere if there is a blocking gatekeeper
Find the win/win - reciprocity
Be
attentive and nurture the relationships of those gatekeepers who engage.These are the people who provide access to the meaningful dataSlide21
Thank you
Any follow up please contact me by email at
James.Taylor@uws.ac.uk