Turkish Prisoners in the Swiss Penal System: Re-Socialization of Turkish Prisoners after the Deportation Decision

Abstract

Over seventy percent of prisoners in Switzerland are foreigners. Most foreign prisoners must leave Switzerland after serving their prison sentences. This concerns the so-called crime tourists and foreigners who must leave Switzerland because of their crimes. This research project has dealt with the second of these two groups. In this study, I address six main questions, ranging from who these Turkish inmates are and how their families cope with expulsion, to what happens post-deportation and how resocialization can be sustained across borders. By examining the micro (prisoners), meso (families), and macro (policies) levels of reintegration, my goal is to offer a comprehensive view of how the resocialization mandate in the Swiss Criminal Code is applied in practice for foreign prisoners. Using an institutional multi-sited ethnography approach, I conducted face-to-face interviews with Turkish prisoners in Swiss prisons and with those who were deported to Turkey after serving their sentences. This method offers firsthand insight into how these policies are interpreted in practice and how they shape the lives of those most directly affected. Why does this matter? The findings provide a deeper understanding of transnational resocialization, while also highlighting the day-to-day realities faced by those affected and their families.