An Inside Look at Israeli Prisoners’ World of Values

The purpose of this study is to take an inside look at Israeli convicts’ world of values as they approach release from prison. Phenomenological interviews with 31 repeat convicts indicated a hierarchy of values that was consistently reordered depending upon the desire to be in or out of crime. When adopting a life of crime, illegal opportunities to achieve financial success were sanctioned. The values of fast cash, partying, loyalty to one’s friends and excitement became the primary sources of the offenders’ commitment. In contrast, the values of fatherhood, husbandry, and hard work were rationalized away as limiting the offenders’ freedom. Nevertheless, these values emerged in the foreground of the offenders’ narratives along with their renewed interest in leaving crime. From these narratives transpired a clear differentiation between the clean and the corrupted world of crime. In the former world, offenders followed a code of honor and adopted the same values as those of law-abiding citizens, even though the weight they assigned to these values differed. In the latter world, hard drugs and extortion made the offenders sink deeper and deeper into an aimless life filled with corruption.