Digitalisation in Prison (Digitalisering in detentie) - DiP

The use of information and communication technologies (hereafter ICTs) is deeply embedded in modern social life. Digital has become the ‘new normal’ and investment in ICTs has evolved to such an extent, that the environment in which citizens interact with public authorities and administration is one which is heavily dependent on ICTs. By denying prisoners’ access to new technologies, however, a new level of disconnection had emerged, ‘demarking a distinctive pain of modern imprisonment’. Over time, new initiatives were installed in the detention context, bridging the gap between carceral spaces and society. In line with the increasing digital evolutions, the Belgian Prison Service introduced a new digital service platform, named ‘PrisonCloud’. To fill the gap of empirical research into the effects of digitalisation in prison, this project aimed for assessing how prisoners’ access to and use of digital media and technologies (digitalisation in prison) affect life in prison for prisoners and prison staff.