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

Joshua T. Ellsworth; Rick R. McCown; Norman Conti

doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/00328855261473238

Joshua T. Ellsworth, Ph.D.

Criminology and Criminal Justice scholar focusing on violence, victimization, and crime, particularly as it affects members of vulnerable populations

Curriculum vitae

Affiliated with Duquesne University

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, vol. 106(5), 2026, pp. 669–688

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, 106(5), 669–688. 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 106, no. 5 (2026): 669–688.

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, vol. 106, no. 5, 2026, pp. 669–88, 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},
  issue = {5},
  journal = {The Prison journal},
  pages = {669–688},
  volume = {106},
  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.

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