‘<i>You Can See Your Face in My Floor</i>’: Examining the Function of Cleanliness in an Adult Male Prison

Abstract

Abstract In this article, consideration is given to the concept of cleanliness and tidiness from the perspective of the masculine prisoner. Themes related to processes of maintaining, and perceptions of, cleanliness emerged, related to the self, personal space, and the cleanliness of others. Running through these were overarching elements of control, differentiation and processes of normalisation, which can be seen to relate concepts of cleanliness directly to the negotiation of the adult male prisoner's gendered identity, implying that keeping clean and tidy relates directly to individuals’ senses of masculine self and perceptions of others.