Functions of background music among prisoners and staff in the Chinese prison workplace

Abstract

Music listening is one of the most popular leisure activities in our lives, and it can also be found in prisons across the globe. However, most research on music in prison are concerned with its rehabilitative functions and not as an everyday activity. This study collected qualitative questionnaires and interview data from 14 prisons to illustrate the soundscape of music listening in Chinese prisons. The main access to music listening happens at the workspace and it is only available in the form of background music. This study considers the various functions of background music for both prisoners and officers. Music curation and access are about power and control, and it reveals a mostly hierarchical yet also dynamic pattern in the Chinese staff–prisoner relationship. Listening to music has also been found to be one of the coping mechanisms for officers and prisoners who share similar working conditions where conformity to authority is inevitable for all.