Table Of ContentPALGRAVE STUDIES IN
PRISONS AND PENOLOGY
Prison in Iran
A Known Unknown
Nahid Rahimipour Anaraki
Palgrave Studies in Prisons and Penology
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Institute of Criminology
University of Cambridge
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Social & Policy Sciences
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University of Oslo
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Nahid Rahimipour Anaraki
Prison in Iran
A Known Unknown
Nahid Rahimipour Anaraki
Memorial University
St. John’s, NL, Canada
Palgrave Studies in Prisons and Penology
ISBN 978-3-030-57168-9 ISBN 978-3-030-57169-6 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57169-6
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Acknowledgments
This work would not have been possible without inspiration, guidance,
support, and encouragement of various individuals who I have had a
chance to meet in my life. These individuals’ tireless dedication to my
work has made this manuscript possible. It is difficult to name all of them
and their valuable contributions in the process of completing this work.
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to
Dr. Anton Oleinik, whose confidence in me made this study possible.
There are few people who understand better than him how much energy
has been devoted to this study. Dr. Oleinik was the first who encouraged
me to publish this research as a book and also the first who read and pro-
vided me with valuable suggestions on early draft of the manuscript. I am
grateful for his generous support and the freedom he granted me during
this journey. I would also like to thank Dr. Masoud Kianpour and Dr.
Jennifer Selby, who served as members of my dissertation committee and
provided me with helpful comments.
I want to express my appreciation to my participants who shared their
lives, pains, spiritual transformations, and experiences with me and
agreed to be part of this journey. Those participants, many of whom were
considered “unwanted” in the society, assisted me in bringing out and
expressing their forgotten and denied humanity. Many of the participants
of this study were enduring the intolerable pains of drug abuse or terrible
prison conditions, yet they assisted me with open hearts.
v
vi Acknowledgments
Many close friends and mentors deserve mention, particularly those
who made significant contributions in the process of data gathering and
linking me to the various gatekeepers in governmental and non-
governmental organizations throughout Iran and those who provided me
with accommodation and transportation while traveling in different cit-
ies. Friends include but are not limited to Nima Emamian, Akbar
Emamian, Mona Dehghan, Arastoo Bozorgi, Rasoul Vaezipour, and
Sardar Sohrabi. A special note of appreciation to Samaneh Ghasemi
Tabatabaei, my best friend whose support during data collection in
Tehran will not be forgotten. Much of my research skills came from
working with Dr. Siamak Zand Razavi and Dr. Dariush Boostani. I am
grateful to them for educating, supporting, and inspiring me.
No acknowledgment would be complete without recognizing the
unwavering patience and unconditional support of my family, Shadi,
Shohre, Javad, Farshid, Kian, and Shahnaz. Their continued support and
encouragement are greatly appreciated. I would like to give special thanks
to my mom and dad, Sadiye and Ali, who have been always next to me
while I was wandering along the various paths of my life. This work
would not have been possible without a financial support of my dad; his
kindness, generosity, and tolerance remain with me forever. Thank you all.
Contents
1 Introduction 1
The So-Called Prison 1
References 18
2 History of Prison 21
The First Spark of Juridical Reform in Iran 21
Prisons in the Qajar Reign 24
The Constitutional Revolution 25
A Root-and-Branch Revamping of the Whole Judicial System 29
Interregnum (1941–1953) 34
Prison Life from 1971 to 1977 37
The 1979 Revolution and Its Impact on Prison Conditions 43
References 52
3 Prison Subculture 55
Unstable Pyramid 56
Captives as a Society 83
Battle Zone 87
Hegemony of Drug-Related Networks 92
Multidimensional Identity 99
vii
viii Contents
Instrumental Relationships 108
Two Sides of the Same Coin 119
References 123
4 Incarcerated Women and Children 129
Women’s Pathway to Prison 129
Incarcerated Mothers 134
The Most Visible Victims 139
Being Prisoned Outside of Prison 147
References 156
5 Conclusion: Never Accomplished Modernization 163
References 171
Index 173
List of Figures
Fig. 1.1 People who use drugs consume and exchange drugs in the
street close to the women’s rehabilitation center, Tehran. Photo
by the author, 2017 7
Fig. 1.2 Night drop-in centre in Tehran. Photo by the author, 2017 8
Fig. 1.3 Night drop-in centre in Tehran. Photo by the author, 2017 9
Fig. 2.1 Map of Iran 28
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