Public perceptions as a potential barrier for prison reform in Panama: An analysis of user comments on YouTube

ABSTRACT

While the Constitution of Panama is remarkably progressive in regard to the treatment of incarcerated persons, the actual conditions faced by these individuals are frequently described as inhumane. We collected data from comments on YouTube videos displaying media on Panamanian prisons to investigate public opinion about their condition. We conducted a content analysis of comments, and use regression models to analyse their attitude, engagement (likes and replies) and the displayed characteristics of commenters. We found that comments tended to reflect a negative view of incarcerated individuals, either justifying bad conditions or asking for treatment that is more punitive. These negative comments also received the most engagement, and had commenters who were less mindful of their anonymity, indicating social desirability. We conclude that public opinion is itself a key barrier for prison reform which could account for the gap between legal prescriptions and the actual conditions of incarcerated individuals in Panama.

KEYWORDS:

• Latin American prisons
• Panama
• incarceration
• online perceptions
• punitive attitudes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mahaleth Sotelo

Mahaleth Sotelo holds an M.A. from the Department of Criminology at the University of South Florida. Her research has focused on penal issues in Latin America and in the analysis of public perceptions through social media.

Mateus R. Santos

Mateus R. Santos is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of South Florida. His research focuses on the drivers of crime and criminal justice trends, on the effects of policy on those trends, on quantitative methods, and on comparative criminology.

Jessica Grosholz

Jessica M. Grosholz is an Associate Professor of Criminology at the University of South Florida on the Sarasota-Manatee campus. Her research focuses on reentry challenges post-incarceration, factors that influence institutional misconduct and recidivism risk, and qualitative research methodologies.

Dawn K. Cecil

Dawn K. Cecil is a Professor of Criminology at the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus. Her research focuses on media representations of crime and justice, including images of incarceration, prison podcasts, and modern true crime.