Young men in prison: The criminal identity explored through the rules of behaviour (1990) Michael Little, Dartmouth, Aldershot

This book examines the experiences of male adolescence whose property offences result in imprisonment. It looks at several “episodes,” including the first offence, life on the margins of prison, the initial experience and the point at which continued imprisonment becomes an accepted part of a “lifestyle”. It argues that offenders choose a criminal identity based on what appear to them to be rational decisions. Several ‘rules of behaviour’ are identified, and, by charting their changing relationship it is shown how the juvenile justice system contributes to a criminal identity, as the offender incorporates into his lifestyle the state reaction to his delinquency. The study also shows how the young person’s identity becomes incongruous with his behaviour and what he believes and does.