Ardent hope for freedom: Escape ideation, learning, and resilience in long-term imprisonment

Journal article

Joshua T. Ellsworth, Rick R. McCown, Norman Conti
The Prison journal, 2026, pp. 1–20

DOI: 10.1177/00328855261473238

Semantic Scholar DOI

Cite

APA Click to copy
Ellsworth, J. T., McCown, R. R., & Conti, N. (2026). Ardent hope for freedom: Escape ideation, learning, and resilience in long-term imprisonment. The Prison Journal, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/00328855261473238

Chicago/Turabian Click to copy
Ellsworth, Joshua T., Rick R. McCown, and Norman Conti. “Ardent Hope for Freedom: Escape Ideation, Learning, and Resilience in Long-Term Imprisonment.” The Prison journal (2026): 1–20.

MLA Click to copy
Ellsworth, Joshua T., et al. “Ardent Hope for Freedom: Escape Ideation, Learning, and Resilience in Long-Term Imprisonment.” The Prison Journal, 2026, pp. 1–20, doi:10.1177/00328855261473238.

BibTeX Click to copy

@article{joshua2026a,
  title = {Ardent hope for freedom: Escape ideation, learning, and resilience in long-term imprisonment},
  year = {2026},
  journal = {The Prison journal},
  pages = {1–20},
  doi = {10.1177/00328855261473238},
  author = {Ellsworth, Joshua T. and McCown, Rick R. and Conti, Norman}
}

Abstract

This study describes the importance of safeguarding hope for freedom throughout long-term periods of incarceration. Collaborative ethnography, an analysis of autobiographical narratives, and focus groups were utilized sequentially to examine identity change among men serving life or multi-decade prison terms. For these men, hope is not a passive concept, but an actively constructed method of withstanding harms of long-term imprisonment. Findings suggest that tenaciously maintained hope supports resilience to nihilistic self-perceptions and internal narratives. Hope was initially channeled through escape ideation —thoughts, planning, and fantasies of escape—then later through prison-based learning and education, culminating in pro-social identity reformation.