Przeprowadzenie wywiadów z więźniami w zakładach karnych

Abstract

The author who has been interviewing women in prison makes use of her experiences to present some methodological conclusions concerning the method and specific character of interviewing prisoners. The article is based on two studies: the first was concerned with vocational schools as the means of prisoners’ resocialization, the authoress herself interviewed 117 persons in the years 1963-64; the other study investigated the problem of family bonds among young women serving a sentence. The interviewing which took place in this study was performed by student interviewers under the supervision of the author in 1965. The following characteristic features of interviewing prisoners were stated: 1. The social situation of the interview is defined by the fact that it takes place in prison. 2. Interviewing in prison is accepted by the respondent with interest without any haste or dislike. 3. The principle of interviewing prisoners in a separate room with no other people present should be strictly observed. 4. The interviewer and the respondent should be of the same sex. 5. The interviewer should be well acquainted with the criminal and penitentiary law both in theory and practice. 6. The interviewer should strictly follow the principle of not getting involved in the prison community. 7. The success of the survey depends on the way the first interviews are conducted. Any failure in the first interviews affects other interviews in the same prison. 8. Prison interviews are associated with the respondent’s anxiety which should be tactfully dealt with. 9. Prison interviews are accompanied by the prisoner’s hope of improving his life situation. 10. Prison interview has the character of a therapeutic interview. 11. Questions in the questionnaire should deal with personal affairs at the beginning and then pass to more general problems. 12. The emotional barrier in the respondents does not allow the interviewer to get many reliable answers concerning the crime and the circumstances in which it was committed of the appreciation of the crime itself. 13. The contents of the prison interview may be controlled to a certain extent i.e. the facts and their interpretation may be considered in the light of the respondent’s personality and character.