Between Inside and Outside: Projects of Visual Research inside Italian Prisons

This article presents two separate experiences in doing research inside detention centers that are located in two Italian cities. The aim of the article is to discuss how the use of a video camera as a research tool can influence the research context in a situation openly and deeply marked by impotence and disempowerment. Our argument is that besides giving the inmates an instrument to communicate beyond the prison, the use of visual media exacerbates specific aspects that according to the existing literature often occur when doing fieldwork in confinement spaces.