The Narrative Construction of the Penal State

Abstract

The narrative study of lives has contributed greatly to the understanding of how professionals find meaning from interpreting life events in their biographies as the basis for their professional engagement to organizations (Bloom, Colbert, and Nielsen 2021; Bunderson and Thompson 2009; McAdams et al. 1997). The present study uses a narrative framework to examine the professional lives of penitentiary defenders, Chilean lawyers who work for the Unit of Penitentiary Defense, a relatively new agency that provides legal counsel to convicted prisoners. Drawing on interviews with 37 penitentiary defenders, 14 penal practitioners, and a variety of public documents and legal sources, I examine the ways in which these attorneys build personal narratives that sustain their professional endeavors. There are three main findings that constitute this dissertation. First, penitentiary defenders craft professional narratives that integrate their personal and professional biographies, which provides them with a cohesive identity that explains their ongoing commitment to legal counsel for convicted prisoners. Second, penitentiary defenders are subject to liminal labor conditions that exclude them from the material benefits and symbolic status of public employees. Yet, through their narratives, penitentiary defenders challenge the public-private contracting scheme of the UPD to present themselves as devoted public servants. Third, penitentiary defenders narratively construct their professional standards of commitment by demarcating who belongs to their moral community. These findings offer analytical, methodological, and practical contributions to contemporary scholarship. They contribute to punishment and society scholarship by advancing micro-level agentic explanations of penal change. They also contribute to narrative criminology by delving into the biographical, material, and relational components of professional narratives in the criminal justice system. In terms of its practical contribution, this analysis can assist policy makers in developing more effective and sustainable policy projects, including improving recruitment and selection processes, creating enjoyable and productive professional experiences, identifying the informal culture that underlies the operations of the organization, and making informed decisions to strengthen the validation of the purposes and mission of the organization amongst its members. In addition, the present study contributes to the literature on indigent defense. It offers a novel explanation of how legal aid lawyers become personally and professionally invested in providing legal counsel to convicted prisoners, despite adverse labor conditions and working with a stigmatized population. Finally, this study explores the professional narratives of penal practitioners in the context of the formation of a new criminal justice agency. By incorporating experiences of professionals outside the Global North, I expect to strengthen the explanatory power of existent theories of professional commitment.