ABSTRACT
This chapter explores empirical data gathered from the program manual and inmates' individual narratives to expose the necessarily contradictory nature in the exercise of discursive discipline. The rewriting of individual experiences for the inmates by the institution is done through the medium of this 'Pathway to Change' program. The chapter addresses the five principal critiques that characterize the prevalence of the prison's disciplinary project within the content of the 'Pathway to Change' course: self-blame, degradation, disconnection, detachment from reality, and expert knowledge. It illustrates self-blame as a discursive tactic, degradation through public shaming and the disconnection between the stated objectives of the lessons and the methods. The methods used for employing exercises and the rhetoric, and internal discourses pertinent to the way the inmates are expected to refer to their own stories represent a gap between the program initiatives and the inmates' narratives.
