Doing time, doing gender: Hyper-masculinity as a coping strategy among male prisoners

Abstract

This thesis assesses the role conceptions of masculinity, more particularly hyper-masculinity play in male prisoners' strategies for coping with the challenges posed by a virtually unisexual prison environment. The study used eight autobiographies by former male prisoners who served sentences in either Canada or the United States in the last forty years. The findings were gathered using a qualitative three-stage coding process and were analyzed using masculinity theories. The results reveal that male prisoners use both hyper-masculine, violent coping strategies and non-violent strategies depending on the circumstances. Critical masculinity theory is better able to explain the violent strategies rather than the non-violent ones. This research is significant because it illuminates the impact of gender on male prisoners' lives and their abilities to cope with imprisonment. The results can be used to inform both treatment and policies regarding male prisoners' incarceration.