‘It’s My Destiny’: Narrating Prison Violence and Masculinity in the Shaun Attwood Trilogy

Abstract

Metcalf engages with a trilogy of memoirs written by Shaun Attwood, a UK citizen who spent six years in the US prison system. Utilising the burgeoning field of narrative criminology to frame her study of Attwood’s books, Metcalf addresses the fascinating dynamics at stake when he addresses his criminal past and subsequent imprisonment in order to seek desistance. The chapter further engages with Attwood’s blog and role as a motivational school speaker to consider the various masculine identities—from ‘exceptional’ masculinities inside the prison to softer or more protective masculinities once released—all of which have a crucial role to play in his narratives and hence his desistance.