Introduction

Abstract

AbstractIn Switzerland, as in most Western countries in recent decades, public pressure and changing demands for security have led to a shift towards a more punitive and hard-line approach to crime. As a consequence, there are now more people serving longer sentences or held preventively in indefinite incarceration. Based on ethnographic data generated in two high-security prisons, this book provides insights into the everyday lives of long-term prisoners in Switzerland who are labelled as ‘dangerous’ and preventively held in indefinite incarceration after completing their regular prison sentence. This chapter provides the background for the study on which this book is based. It presents information on the research context and in-depth reflections on how to conduct ethnographic research in a constrained context with heavily stigmatized people.