Soft resistance in prisons in England & Wales and Norway

The intimate presence of state power and the resentments and reactions produced by involuntary confinement mean that the conditions of imprisonment produce and expose various forms of resistance. The literature in this area has tended to focus on highly visible and spectacular episodes of resistance, or on acts that are subtle, disguised, or clandestine. This article seeks to theorise what we call ‘soft resistance’, practices that are expressed in plain sight, and whose intent is to mock, derail or push back against the authorities, but which – crucially – do not breach official rules. Examples include legal challenge and complaints, the use of ‘paperwork’, mockery and disengagement. We argue that soft resistance corresponds with, and exploits the terms of, soft forms of penal power.