This edited collection sheds light on an under-researched and often misconceived form of prison life, that of prisoner leadership. It offers a fresh approach to understanding the reality of the prison community, seeking out examples of prisoner leaders and their leadership qualities, uncovering new understandings of how such leadership supports and changes the community as well as shedding light on the conditions under which such leadership thrives. It explores a wealth of topics from race to drugs, violence, work, and faith. Each chapter is co-authored by an academic and a contributor with prison lived experience to centralise their knowledge and narratives on different leadership topics. It addresses key assumptions about the meaning and categorisation of what counts as ‘a leader’, why they matter, and what role they play in the implementation and mediation of punishment. This book enriches academic knowledge and provides a crucial intellectual stimulus for rethinking the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of prison research.

Marion Vannier is a senior lecturer in criminology at the University of Manchester, UK. Marion's research sits at the intersection of prison sociology criminal law, and human rights law, with a focus on long-term imprisonment. She is the recipient of a UKRI Future Leader Fellowship (2022).

Paula Harriott is CEO of the charity Unlock and a lived experience leader. Her work focuses on building more inclusive representation of people directly impacted by imprisonment and developing frameworks for participation and research that create spaces for new knowledge and practice to emerge.