Incarceration Hegemony and Decarceration Dream in Iran's Penal Policy (A Case Study on Jurisdiction of Kerman City)

Nowadays the policy of penal population reduction of prisoners is one of the priorities of different countries including Iran. Therefore, this study by using emic approach and Grounded Theory methodology, tried to study the condition and strategies of decarceration policy. Twenty-one judges of Kerman city participated in this study as participant. Judges were selected by purposive sampling and theoretical saturation. Data was collected by in-depth interview technique. Finally, the analysis of the data from interviews resulted in the creation of four main categories and a core category. The main categories are: paved way of incarceration; contradiction within the judicial organization; the concentration of power in the judge; and the legal defects causing imprisonment. The core category is also: incarceration hegemony in Iran's penal policy.