This article examines the ways in which music making can inspire and facilitate social change amongst the “society of captives.” It explores the social dynamics of prison music projects, and then looks at the ways in which music making can begin to transform the wider social world of prison. It reports a qualitative investigation of two such projects delivered by the Irene Taylor Trust (ITT) in a medium-security, adult male prison in England. Methods comprised participant observations of the projects over a period of 14 months, and semi-structured interviews with prisoner participants, facilitators, and members of prison staff.

Much research shows that taking part in prison music projects can help participants develop social skills and thus contribute to their rehabilitation and desistance from crime. The present study revealed that the ITT projects were not merely the setting for learning individual social skills; the participants also felt themselves to be joining or forming a community that was distinct from the wider prison community. The impact of their musical activities on their lives in prison was as important to them as its potential contribution to their lives following release. The findings are discussed with reference to the work of DeNora, suggesting that music projects can provide the setting for removal communities, with norms distinct from and better than those of typical social life in prison, and can transform or refurnish the wider prison environment, as participants continue their music making on the landings and in their cells.

本文探讨了音乐制作如何激发和促进“俘虏社会”的社会变革。它探索监狱音乐项目的社会动态，然后研究音乐制作可以开始改变监狱更广泛的社会世界的方式。它报告了对 Irene Taylor Trust (ITT) 在英格兰一个中等安全级别的成年男性监狱中交付的两个此类项目的定性调查。方法包括对项目进行为期 14 个月的参与者观察，以及对囚犯参与者、协助者和监狱工作人员的半结构化访谈。

大量研究表明，参与监狱音乐项目可以帮助参与者发展社交技能，从而有助于他们康复并远离犯罪。本研究表明，ITT 项目不仅是学习个人社交技能的场所；参与者还觉得自己正在加入或形成一个不同于更广泛的监狱社区的社区。他们的音乐活动对他们在狱中的生活的影响对他们来说与释放后对他们生活的潜在贡献一样重要。研究结果参考 DeNora 的工作进行了讨论，表明音乐项目可以为驱逐社区提供环境，其规范不同于并优于监狱中典型的社会生活的规范，并且可以改变或重新装修更广阔的监狱环境，因为参与者在平台和牢房中继续他们的音乐创作。