Legitimacy in the prison environment: systematic review

Purpose:

The purpose of the paper is to present the latest research findings on legitimacy and self-legitimacy in the prison environment and identify gaps in the existing knowledge on the importance of legitimacy in prisons based on a systematic review.

Design/Methods/Approach:

A comprehensive review of studies focusing on empirical research of prisoners’ perception of the legitimacy of prison staff and the self-legitimacy of prison workers was conducted, applying robust criteria for including studies in the sample and the use of the PRISMA method.

Findings:

A review of research on legitimacy in prison settings has shown that studies on prisoners’ perceptions of the legitimacy of authority are predominant, with studies on prison staff’s self-legitimacy representing less than a third of all studies in the sample. Prisoners’ perceptions of the legitimacy of prison staff are primarily based on procedural justice and good relations between prison workers and prisoners. Research on self-legitimacy has highlighted the problem of the suitability of existing models based on the recognition triad for measuring the self-legitimacy of authorities in the prison environment.

Research Limitations / Implications:

The limitations of the study are visible in the rigid criteria for including scientific works in the sample, which have not foreseen the inclusion of theoretical and review studies and final theses that focused on legitimacy in the prison environment.

Practical Implications:

The identification of key factors that are associated with both natures of legitimacy is useful for developing proper relationships between prison workers and prisoners, which constitute the foundation for resocialisation of prisoners, and ensuring order in the prison environment based on communication and not on coercion over imprisoned persons.

Originality/Value:

The paper provides a comprehensive review of empirical studies on legitimacy in the prison context, together with an analysis and synthesis of findings that significantly contribute to legitimacy theory and existing knowledge on the importance of legitimacy in prisons.

UDC: 343.8

Keywords: legitimacy, self-legitimacy, research, systematic review, prison environment