英文摘要 |
While the policy of lifting smoking bans for inmates has been enacted in 1993, no further research has been conducted in exploration of society changes in prisons over the past two decades in Taiwan. The purpose of this study aims to explore the changes of inmates' subcultures and the impacts on prison management before and after the liberalization of smoking bans. The purposive sampling was employed to collect 13 inmates from two prisons in the northern part of Taiwan. At the same time, a semi-structured in-depth interview and a category– content analysis orientation were adopted for data analysis. The results drawn from in-depth interviews indicated that, from the perspective of inmates, the society in a prison setting has overwhelmingly transitioned from a gangster subculture characterized by monopolized illegal profiteering and authoritarian rule to a subculture characterized by personal economic interests. Moreover, the collapse of hierarchical class in inmate society and identity conflicts caused by the evolution of individualistic consciousness from the dissolution of collective consciousness can be viewed as the features significant changes in prison after the milestone of lifting smoking bans. Some policy implications have been recommended as follows: safeguarding and guaranteeing the fundamental rights of inmates. |