Young Men, Masculinities and Imprisonment

Given the over-involvement of young men in crime and young men’s disproportionally high rates of reoffending, it is surprising that more research has not explored young men’s experiences of prison. This book is based on the findings of a nine-month ethnographic case study of Hydebank Wood College, a young men’s prison in Northern Ireland. It seeks to explore the complexity of gender construction and masculine performance during young adulthood, while also exposing and dissecting the turbulent social life of a young men’s prison.

In examining these themes, the book takes account of the unique social, economic, and political factors that impact young men in communities in Northern Ireland, paying particular attention to their feelings of powerlessness, marginalisation, and vulnerability, and the construction of identity in cultures defined by territorialism, violence, masculine stoicism, and an anti-authority code of ‘honour’. The book follows the formation of masculinitiesthrough the prison gate and considers how the penal environment contributes to the continual shaping young men’s identities. The book also adopts Gambetta’s concept of ‘signalling’ to examine how young men use different practices, such as language and embodiment, to communicate masculinity to their wider social audience. At the same time, it also considers the reluctance of young men to communicate about their sources of vulnerability.

“In this fascinating book, Murray draws on his wonderfully rich and detailed ethnographic data to say something new and important about masculinities, identity, and crime. While uniquely positioned against the backdrop of contemporary Northern Ireland, Murray’s observations resonate across contexts, bringing to light, not only, the complexities and nuances of masculinities but also their embeddedness in the structural violences of profound inequality.” (Kate Seymour, Senior Lecturer, Social Work, Flinders University, South Australia)

“Given the connection between youth, maleness and crime, the literature on the imprisonment of young men is surprisingly sparse. Murray’s book opens up this world with a sensitive and insightful analysis that advances our understanding significantly, charting the layered masculine dynamics of Hydebank Wood.” (Ben Crewe, Professor of Penology and Criminal Justice and Deputy Director of the Prisons Research Centre, University ofCambridge, UK)

“The transition from boy to man is a particularly fraught rite of passage, often resulting in hypermasculine displays of ritualised violence. In this insightful ethnographic analysis, Murray shows how justice interventions can inadvertently exacerbate these issues and stunt the processes of healthy development. A must read for anyone working with this crucial demographic.” (Shadd Maruna, Professor of Criminology, Queen’s University Belfast and President of the American Society of Criminology)

Conor Murray is Lecturer in Criminology within the School of Applied Social and Policy Sciences at Ulster University (UU), Northern Ireland. He is the Director of Postgraduate Research within the School. He is a board member of UU’s Doctoral College and is UU’s Institutional Director for the ESRC Northern Ireland and North-East England Doctoral Training Partnership. Conor also sits on the Executive Board of NIACRO, an NGO dedicated to reducing crime and its impact on people and communities in Northern Ireland. As an early career academic, Conor has a distinct focus on widening access to higher education and he is the Course Director of ‘Stay Onside: Applied Football Studies’, a Personal and Professional Development Course delivered to prisoners in HMP Maghaberry. The course is delivered as an academically accredited sport-based intervention, which he co-delivers with the Irish Football Association. 

Conor is also an active researcher, he has been involved in securing over £160,000 in research funding and support grants since commencing his post. His co-edited book Crime, Justice and Religion: A Critical Appraisal was published by Routledge in 2022. While writing both books Conor has also been exploring research interests in disciplines of young adulthood, gender, sexuality, policing, religion, and sport-based interventions, and has published book chapters, peer reviewed articles and reports. In November 2022 he was invited to Westminster to give oral evidence based on his research expertise to the NI Affair’s Committee on the effects of paramilitaries on NI communities.