Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores the causes and consequences of intergenerational incarceration and the lived experiences of those caught up in milieus. It examines intergenerational incarceration – emerged from a study examining pathways into prison, experiences of custody, and the challenges of release among a group of young male offenders aged 15 to 29 years. The book reviews the relevant literature and traces the emergence of intergenerational incarceration as a key social problem. It discusses the prison as serving an increasingly peculiar function in the lives of many intergenerational incarcerates and also examines the prison as a ‘homecoming space’ where other family members once were, or are, incarcerated. The book provides the prison as an institution which reproduces/aggravates the conditions of intergenerational incarceration and draws on prisoners’ narratives to highlight the paucity of rehabilitative options and capacity to transition to a better life following release.