The Multilingual Microcosm in Prison. On the (In)Vulnerability of the Linguistic and Legal Framework of Belgian Prisons
Elle Leon, Heidi Salaets, Tom Daems & Jonathan Bernaerts (KU Leuven)
Like many European states, Belgium is confronted with an increasingly multilingual population in its detention facilities. Among detainees, there are significant differences in the proficiency of the official languages in Belgium (Dutch, French and German). The project MiPRiS: Multilingualism in Prisons and Reintegration into Society will study language legislation, policy and practice in Belgian prisons, to map to what extent it impairs the detention process and successful reintegration of prisoners into society. Through an analysis of the legal framework established for language use in Belgian prison and linguistic ethnographic research, this project will produce a normative framework and policy recommendations that are relevant to all 46 Council of Europe member states.
By combining an ethnographic study in situ, with a legal analysis of the European human rights law framework, the project will not only show how language practices impact reintegration trajectories, but also identify priorities for policy change. More specifically, we will apply a multimethodological approach by combining quantitative research with surveys and qualitative research through observations in situ (Beyens & Boone, 2013), the analysis of written documents, such as leaflets and posters (Salaets et al., 2022), and semi-structured interviews with the actors involved (detainees, prison staff and members of various prison committees).
The prison community mostly represents a vulnerable environment. This vulnerability is even more tangible for foreign language speaking detainees since they face language barriers as an extra layer of vulnerability in various contexts of their detention process. Previous research in Belgian prison settings has, for instance, noted that language is one of the main obstacles for foreign detainees when participating in prison activities with specific language requirements or when the activities’ information is not available in different languages (Croux et. al., 2019). In our contribution, we would, therefore, like to address the language-based exclusion that is faced by foreign language speaking detainees in Belgian prisons by delving into the legal framework regarding language use in prison.
For the Taal & Tongval colloquium, we wish to introduce our project, expound on the connection between law and linguistics in Belgian prisons by thoroughly explaining the legal framework regarding language use in prison and its intricacies, and explore the specific difficulties of our project as multilingual ethnographic research. Moreover, conducting research on the linguistic diversity and language barriers of a prison as an institutional setting implies challenges for the researcher who only possesses a limited range of languages in his/her/their own linguistic repertoire in comparison with the prisons’ multilingual microcosms. This observation harmonizes seamlessly with van Hest & Jacobs’ concept (2022) of spaces of linguistic non-understanding. Of course, at the end of our contribution, we will seize the opportunity to engage in dialogue with the audience.
References
Beyens, K., & Boone, M. (2013). ‘Zeg maar Henk tegen de chef’. Ervaringen met het Belgische detentieregime in de PI Tilburg, Den Haag, Boom Lemma.
Croux, F., Brosens, D., Vandevelde, S., & De Donder, L. (2019). Foreign national prisoners in Flanders (Belgium): Motivations and barriers to participation in prison programmes. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 25, 171-188.
Salaets, H., Bernaerts, J., & Heijkants, S. (2022), Taalbarrières in de Vlaamse gevangenissen: ‘In dialoog tijdens detentie’, Fatik, 39 (176), 11-22.
van Hest, E., & Jacobs, M. (2022). Spaces of linguistic non-understanding in linguistic ethnography (and beyond). In M. Victoria (Ed.), Methodological issues and challenges in researching transculturally (pp. 14–38). Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.