The study of the process of change in men serving long sentences

The objective of this article is to explore life trajectories of prisoners serving life sentences that have been granted complete parole and are living in the community, in order to better understand processes of psychological change. A qualitative methodology was chosen in order to establish the life narratives of 20 prisoners serving life sentences but living in the community having been granted parole. A series on some 15 two hour-long interviews of each participant are realized in order to establish their life trajectory. Two dimensions have emerged following analysis of the interview material that have been designated as the pivotal moment and the turning point. The life story of Laurent is presented with a view of illustrating and discussing these results. Finally, a short psychoanalytic discussion of the results is presented as concluding remarks. Adapted from the source document.