LITERATURE REVIEW > METHODOLOGY > Page 8

  The study also found, "significant evidence that many individuals suffer serious psychological or psychiatric problems as a result of their wrongful imprisonment and that these problems are not apparent until after release. The study found that expert facilities do not exist for addressing these problems..."

  Amongst the organisations considered for providing a nationwide service to redress these issues were:- the Society of Voluntary Associates; the National Association of Citizen Advice Bureaux and MOJO. They also considered a proposal by John Kamara, who himself spent nearly 20 years in prison as a 'miscarriage of justice' victim.

  The main thrust of Kamara's 'Life After Life' proposal was that it was essential that a retreat (the word 'hostel' was rejected as smacking of officialdom) be set up to receive 'miscarriage of justice' victims immediately after release. Kamara felt that it was essential that this retreat be managed and run on a daily basis by other 'miscarriage of justice' victims who had already been through a similar experience. Dr Grounds thought that this latter detail was critical if the victims and their families were to have confidence in the service.

  In the event, the Citizens Advice Bureaux were given the contract.

  METHODOLOGY

My approach to this research has been from the orientation of interpretive biography, which belongs firmly in the sociological tradition. According to Denzin (1989), "the interpretive biographical method involves the studied use and collection of personal-life documents, stories, accounts, and narratives which describe turning-point moments in individuals' lives." (p.13) Denzin states quite clearly that, "The lived experiences of interacting individuals are the proper subject matter of sociology."(p.25)

  Notwithstanding Derrida's (1972) caution that, "there is no clear window into the inner life of a person, for any window is always filtered through the glaze of language, signs and the process of signification." (p.14 in Denzin), Denzin argues that, "the meanings of these experiences are best given by the persons who experienced them. A pre-occupation with method, with the validity, reliability, generalizability and theoretical relevance of the biographical method must be set aside in favour of a concern for meaning and interpretation." (p.25)

  Denzin's position is that, "there is a 'real' person 'out there' who has lived a life, and this life can be written about."(p.22) Further, "the personal pronoun thus signifies this person making this utterance. It becomes a historical claim."(p.21)

  I, myself, served 24 consecutive years in prison for murder, a crime I was guilty of. My autobiographical account is offered as data in the same way as the biographical accounts which comprise the rest of the primary data, as something to be interpreted and examined for meaning. Having worked as a professional journalist for several years, I was conscious of the need for objectivity rather than subjectivity.

  There are three biographical accounts of a control group comprising men who served long terms in prison, but were guilty as charged. Their prison experiences and, more importantly, the degree to which they did or did not suffer enduring psychological damage which persisted after release, can be compared with the 'miscarriage of justice' victims in the sample group.