‘It was beyond my horizon’: discussion and defence of resentment-based conflicts in the prison system

Violent conflicts and social differentiation shape prison life, as well as the work that is carried out in the prison system. However, there has been little analysis so far of the perspective of prison officers. In this study, we draw on a publicised incident of resentment in the prison system to analyse how staff deal with conflict. The qualitative study adopts a socio-psychological perspective and an interpretive paradigm (depth hermeneutic analysis) to look at three group discussions with prison officers. From this, it was possible to reconstruct three typical patterns of behaviour, each of which is guided by different motifs: (1) protection of good work and restoration of normality; (2) stress and the fear of overstepping boundaries; and (3) reflection on aggressive impulses and concern about a negative spiral of violence. These patterns interact with the institution’s own logic. Although sometimes deviating from established courses of action, the patterns contribute greatly to the functionality of the institution. We link our findings to concepts of the total institution and institutionalised defence processes.