The co-constitution of chaos: The entangling of individual and institution in the Australian criminal justice system

Justice-involved individuals convicted of crimes involving violence are often depicted as chaotic, whereas the chaos they encounter in criminal justice institutions is not commonly reported. Nonetheless, we found that chaos can be co-constituted at points where justice-involved individuals and justice institutions intersect. Our findings are drawn from qualitative research on a pharmacotherapy trial designed to reduce violence: Reducing impulsivity in repeat violent offenders using a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, ReINVEST. Data were analysed using a grounded inductive approach and we drew on Law and Lock and Nguyen's innovative theories of “mess” and “entanglement” respectively. Analysis and theoretical explication revealed themes of entanglement, conflicting justice cultures, unacknowledged dysfunction in justice institutions, and negative impacts of bias. We propose these aspects of the co-constitution of chaos are considered in the creation of person-centered policy, and non-discriminatory, safe criminal justice spaces.