Men's stories of criminality in retrospect : A qualitative study about masculinity ideals, criminality and exit

The aim of this study was to understand how masculinities are constructed in criminal contexts, and how men handle the changes in their identity during the exit process, to show how the Swedish Prison and Probation Service and other actors in social work can support men during their exit from criminal behavior. The study uses narrative analysis as a method, specifically the category-content method. Empirically the study is based on six autobiographies by six different authors who all identify as either criminals or ex-criminals. The results show that the authors’ masculinities are primarily constructed through the act of acquiring and exhibiting material and social resources, as well as displaying courage, capacity for violence, and recklessness, while simultaneously hiding emotions which they regard as weaknesses. The men handle their changing identities due to exit processes by receiving support from friends and family, and by not leaving the criminal context entirely. One identified strategy some of the authors use in order to manage identity conflicts that we have identified is the use of their life story, and knowledge regarding crime, as a means to change young potential offenders’ life trajectories