Doing time: Perceptions of time within correctional environments

Time as an environmental factor has been felt differently this past year as everyone has had to remain in close quarters and in isolation from others. The infringement on our movement has led us to have different perceptions of our immediate environment. We know that the passage of time has largely seemed both slow and fast (Levine, 2008). The purpose of this study is to investigate how people sense time within environments that control them. This research addresses the question of whether we can learn about our own time perceptions when inhabiting physically controlling environments for a long period (Bauman & Lyon, 2013). The literature for this review relies heavily on philosophy, surveillance studies, and criminology. Philosophical writings by Merleau-Ponty, Husserl, Freud, and Heidegger act as conceptual frames for the research, and identify gaps in design literature that connect perceptions of space to time (Merleau-Ponty, 1962). The design of this work is qualitative in methodology with grounded theory used as a method to code the data for emergent themes. The data was collected within two prisons in a large northeastern state where stakeholders had direct experience with solitary confinement environments. Interviews, observations, document analysis, and photographic analysis were used as research tools. Findings are that mental well-being is connected to a personal ability to positively engage time in restricted housing environments (Rapoport, 1982). Inmates use a variety of tools including faith, family support, personal artifacts connected to memory, views to nature beyond, and personal meditation.