My research has primarily pursued two branches of inquiry:
- Theorizing Transitions/Penal Change – Where do “new” punishments come from and how successfully do they replace conventional, outmoded forms of punishment?
- Understanding Everyday “Resistance” in Prison – What are the causes and effects of prisoners’ “secondary adjustments” (or friction, micro-resistance, and resistance)?
More recently, I have added a third branch:
- The “Curious Eclipse” of Carceral Ethnography Revisited – What do trends in academic research, drawing on original research conducted within carceral facilities, look like in the U.S. as well as in selected international contexts (i.e., the U.K., Canada, and Ireland)?
Ashley T. Rubin 