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Cultures within prisons
Prison culture and subculture
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The Inmate Subculture in United States Prisons: An Overview The Subculture Phenomena within Prisons To be able to discuss the issue of the inmate sub-cultures in prison I will first have to discuss what subcultures are and major reasons that they form. First of all the term subculture in general is kind of like a small culture within and not always accepted by members of a larger one known as a society. Societies as a whole are very large and contain many individuals within them, and let us face it it is human nature to group together or congregate with individuals that have similar interests. This causes the whole to split off into smaller groups and this process is how subcultures form; however, if you eliminate certain elements such as freedom of movement or safety from the equation you will accelerate and intensify the subculture process. Subcultures in prison Prisons exist in this country as a means to administer retributive justice for those that break the laws in our society or to state it simply prisons punish criminals that are to receive a sentence of incarceration for more than one year. There are two main sub-cultures within the walls of prison the sub-culture of the Department of Corrections (which consists of the corrections officer, administrators, and all of the staff that work at the prison and go home at the end of their day) and the actual prisoners themselves. As you can imagine these two sub-cultures are dualistic in nature and this makes for a very stressful environment for both sides of the fence. While in prison, the inmates experience the same conditions as described in the previous paragraph only more intensified and there are several factors in a prison setting that would result in the ... ... middle of paper ... ...ces Taylor, D. L., & Palacious, W. R. (2002). The Inmate Subculture in Juvenile Settings. In R. L. Gido, & T. Allemen (Eds.), Turnstyle Justice: Issues in American Corrections (pp. 60-61; Tables 5.2, 5.3). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Jeff Jhonson. (http://www.justice.gov/ndic/pubs27/27612/estimate.htm) National Drug Intelligence Center Attorney General's Report to Congress on the Growth of Violent Street Gangs in Suburban Areas April 2008 http://books.google.com/books?id=ZVmEkugKxUsC&pg=PA356&lpg=PA356&dq=Juvenile+Inmate+subculture&source=bl&ots=55uQlg5FXk&sig=XL2Mqe1xh0psna8hxCk9lzN-LTk&hl=en&ei=vec0TJOkE8KB8gaYscDICw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CEQQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=Juvenile%20Inmate%20subculture&f=false Robert M. Regoli, John D. Hewitt, E.B. (2009) Exploring Criminal Justice: The Essentials. chap. 13 Jones & Bartlett Learning (pubs.)
Within the film, prison culture illustrates the subculture within Shawshank State Prison. Prison culture and the Inmate Code dictate the typical rules and values that have emerged in prisons (Clear, 2006). The aggression of both prison guards and inmates, as well as the punishments and sanctions imposed for deviant behavior highlight the prison subculture. Throughout the film, the inmates showcase certain distinctive markers of the subculture that set the group apart from the dominant culture because they use cigarettes as currency, engage in violence, establish specific roles and identity, and share similar goals and values, such as
Being a prisoner has more restrictions than one may believe. Prisoners are told when they should participate in daily activities and what they are allowed to say or do on a daily basis. This is not a life anyone is determined to experience during any period of time. However, all though for most prison life is just a depiction in a movie or on television, it is a reality for many. Their crimes and behaviors brought them into a world of being stripped of their freedom. Those who oversee the prisoners must control order within the brick walls. An article discussing the duties of a prison officer, defines it as one who “...has responsibility for the security, supervision, training and rehabilitation of people committed to prison by the courts”
The “pains of imprisonment” can be divided into five main conditions that attack the inmate’s personality and his feeling of self-worth. The deprivations are as follows: The deprivation of liberty, of goods and services, of heterosexual relationships, autonomy and of security.
Prisons have dated back to the twentieth century when the United States had almost two million people confined in prisons or jails. Prisons have been a form of government punishment that has shaped our nation to what it is today. The first jail was established in Philadelphia, in 1970. It was called the Walnut Street Jail and was recorded as the first use of imprisonment through solitary confinement. The basic principles of the new system were to reform those in prison, and to segregate those according to age, sex, and type of offenses charged against them (Schoenherr). The second prison was called Sing-Sing a...
Prison gangs are originally formed by inmates as a way of protecting themselves from the other inmates. These gangs have turned out to be violent and thus posing a threat to security. This paper will have a look at the different gangs in prisons, their history, beliefs and missions, and the differences and similarities in these gangs.
Gang involvement has been quite higher than past years. The 2008 National Youth Gang Survey estimates that about 32.4 percent of all cities, suburban areas, towns, and rural counties had a gang problem (Egley et al., 2010). This represented a 15 percent increase from the year 2002. The total number of gangs has also increased by 28 percent and total gang members have increased by 6 percent (Egley et al., 2010). This shows how relevant gang related activity is in today’s society. More locations are beginning to experience gang activity for the first time. Gang crime has also been on the rise in the past...
The correctional system is based on helping offenders become part of society and not commit any crimes. Many prisons begin the correcting criminals since they are inside the jails, but many prisons do not. Prisons provide prisoners with jobs inside the prison where they get very little pay close to nothing and many have programs that will help them advance their education or get their high school diploma. There are various programs prisons provide to prisoners to help them get a job or have a skill when they are released from prison. In contrast, prisons that do not provide programs or help to prisoners rehabilitate and enter society again will be more likely to commit another crime and go back to jail. The Shawshank Redemption prison did not
McGarrell, Edmund F. Juvenile Correctional Reform: Two Decades of Policy and Procedural Change. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1988.
Herman, Peter G., Ed. The American Prison System. n.p.: The H. W. Wilson Company, 2001. Print.
The prison system in the United States was not always like it is today. It took mistakes and changes in order to get it to the point it is at. Some people think that prisons should still be being changed while others feel that they are fine the way they are. It is hard to make an argument for one side or the other if one does not know about the history of prisons as well as the differences between prisons structures and differences in prison management. Knowledge of private prisons is also needed to make this difficult decision.
Over the centuries one of the most common forms of punishment is imprisonment. As times past by the prison has taken on various shapes and forms. The quality and most conditions of prisons have changed in order to provide better living conditions for the inmates, but the main purpose of the prison has never changed, the online article Welcome to Stop the Crime states that “ a prison have four major purposes, these include retribution, incapacitation, deterrence and rehabilitation” (stoptheaca.org). This shows that the prison is there to ensure that criminals pay back society for the crimes they have committed; it also serves as an area to keep criminals from hurting innocent civilians and it is also there to transform prisoners to law abiding citizens. The prison life is a common topic discussed between boys of all ages, and it is very common to hear past prisoners convincing them that the prison life isn’t hard at all and that it’s very simple. Although some prisoners try to make the prison life sound fun and carefree when it’s compared to the life of a free individual it can be clearly seen that the prison life is much harder.
Write a 2-page paper explaining the concept of prisonization and describe its impact on inmates both while serving a prison sentence and as they return to the community. Should the system attempt to correct this issue or is it a necessary byproduct of the prison system?
Also, some behavior mirrors prisoner ways developed outside the prison walls (Skarbek, 2014, p. 27). Prison gangs partially have emerged in response to the correctional system. Its ways of dealing with inmates have left a huge impact on individuals who feel deprived of their rights. Single person feels weak and helpless, thus it is easier for them to join a gang to represent their stance. At some point prison gangs acquire so much power that they are a force to reckon with. Their organizational structure creates uneasy topic for the penal system to deal with (Skarbek, 2014, p. 30). There are instances where groups use the system in their favor to achieve their
Prisonization is the process of accepting the culture and social life of prison society. It can be described as a process whereby newly institutionalized offenders come to accept prison lifestyles and criminal values. Prisonization also forms an informal inmate code. Prison inmates slowly accept these institutional features and codes of the prison in their struggle for survival. Prison violence occurs through the process of deprivation. Deprivation works by taking away things that let you feel like a normal human. This deprivation of contact with family members, particularly their children, is a severe pain that many inmates experience when, they are unable to have regular interactions with their own children or have any control over their child’s environment on the outside.
Over 2.1 million inmates occupy the cells of prisons in the United States of America (Highest). Since the mid-1800’s, the prison population has almost doubled in size and still continues to grow. The amount of time spent in prison by an individual has also raised from 1993 (Espejo 21). Routines, crimes, and security contain similar structures in all prisons, but some involve worse circumstances and criminals; here is a look into the life of a prisoner.