The meaning of green in prison. Exploring the complexities of the green prison in France

Sammanfattning

This study explores the concept of the ‘green prison’ and its intersections with the realities of the French prison system. Conducted during a twenty-six-week internship with the French prison administration, a mixed-methods approach is employed, including a literature and historical review, semi-structured interviews, and an external-insider participant perspective. Findings reveal that the green prison remains an emergent concept in France, encompassing both vegetated prisons, which integrate green spaces, and sustainable prisons, which aim for environmental responsibility. Critiques of the green prison leads to consider it as an idealized prison that helps to renew the penal system by establishing an attainable and aspirational horizon – i.e. a new model prison. This theoretical framework is confronted with the practical realities of French prison administration and the examination of the introduction of vegetation in maximum-security centers. While both the model prison framework and the vegetation initiatives focus are found to be limited, they highlight the paradoxes inherent to the prison system, the absence of jails in the green prison considerations, and the urgent need for an environmental justice approach within the carceral context.