The Growth of Prison Culture - Essay Example

Prison culture refers to the norms, mores, folkways, behaviors and attitudes inside the bars of the prison. There are many subcultures which the inmates design of their own. The norms of the inmate subculture are in complete contradiction to those in the outside free world. They reflect the inmates’ hostile feelings and approach towards the men of the independent world. The methodologies used were case studies, autobiographies of the prisoners, and essays written after interviews of the inmates. Observations recorded the importance of different problems inside the prison society. Recommendations aimed at removing these distresses so that the inmates could become a healthy part of the free society. Key words: Prison culture, inmate subculture, free world, case studies. Introduction Culture as defined in Oxford Dictionary tells that it is “the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society”. Therefore the term Prison Culture refers to the ideas, customs and behavior of the prison community. In this world, there have always been two types of humans; either they are free to do what they desire or they are inside the bars not allowed to go their well. Culture therefore also becomes divided into two types; the culture of free humans and the culture of prisoners. The paper aims at describing the later type. Prison Culture is the net combined behavior of the inmates of a prison. The paper has attempted to analyze the prison culture after studying the ways in which the prisoners react. Prison Culture can be best understood keeping in view an expanded volume of gas where there are atoms frequently wandering here and there, with no destiny, with no desire, with no ambition. They are scattered and same is the situation with prisoners. Like the atoms, they have no ideals to abide by. There is a sort of confusion prevailing everywhere. Prison Culture is without a well defined social structure. No consensus of opinions is ever seen here because of the conflicting ideas. There is dishonesty which subdues the mutual sympathy. There is trickery which overwhelms the mutual sincerity. Selfishness defeats the impulse of cooperation. There is no concept of Social Control. There are no defined mores, no traditions of goodwill and therefore no general culture. The norms and values of prisons are either not seen or completely different from those of the outside society. Every day inside the prison is the Day of Judgment where everyone tries to get his share not bothering for anyone else. Prison Culture is therefore a totally different culture (Clemmer, 1958). Statement Of Problem Prison hurts the human psychologically. The fact adds to the troubles of the inmates and creates problems in the inmate-to-inmate relations. Prison encourages the institution of government to practice more and more degrading environments. Overcrowding in the prisons adds to the aggressive behavior of the inmates. This is the main cause of the prison culture being poor and weak in the sense. It has been noted that the increased is the population inside the prison, the increased is the ratio of violence and abuse between prisoners and the prison staff. It means that the larger is the number of prisoners, the more aggressive is the Prison Culture. This fact in turn increases the volume of punishment inside the prison. Public prisons are more populated than the private and the theory is proved that in private prisons, the rate of violence and punishment is quite lower than the public prison (Steiner, 2009). The growth of privatized prisons is yet another problem. This is because of the worsening of the prison culture as regards the public prison. Also private prison is more economical for the state than the public prison. The risk of violence is in turn increased by the under-staffing. Since the increase in staff strength increases the burden on government exchequer, it hesitates to do so and the prison culture is thus influenced (Taylor, 2008). Guard-prisoner relationship is always of extreme importance for the prison culture to be friendly and handsome. The issue is quite well settled in the case of private prisons while it worsens in the case of public prisons. In short, the guard-prisoner relationship determines the direction of the prison culture. The relationship is striking at the private prisons therefore they reflect a better culture inside (Schleifer, 1998). Yet another thing is the inmate subculture. It comprises of a peculiar language and specific norms, beliefs, values, attitudes and statuses which give the prisoners a shape different than those inside the free world. This is considered a norm of the inmate subculture that what is condemned outside the prison and in the law is deemed an honor inside the prison. The more severe is the crime, the more honored and dignified is the prisoner inside the prison. For instance, a killer is considered the ultimate despicable person in the free world. To the inmate subculture of prison, he is the brave guy applauded for being a high profile criminal. Drug-traffickers and gangsters are hated in the free society while in prisons, it is the inmate subculture that they occupy the seats of authority (Hassine, 2009). Inmate subculture binds the prisoners together. The inmate code of subculture is their law book though not formally written and defined. According to this code of prison life, the prisoners are mere gladiators, prison a jungle and their life is but violence. The stronger a prisoner is, the greater is the possibility of his survival (Abbott, 1981). The code warns the newcomer to refrain from disputes with other prisoners; not to gamble, steal, borrow and lend for that is the only way to survive (Hassine, 2009). The code has its own standards of morality. Cooperation with officials as informers is a sin of high degree. The violators of the law are severely dealt with; often murdered and tortured ruthlessly. The use of special language and terms is another feature of the inmate subculture. The prisoners have a terminology of their own which they use frequently. Homosexuality also forms an important part of the episode. The prisoners are heterosexual before imprisonment but they are compelled to become homosexual for their sexual requirements. It is the important feature of the prison’s inmate subculture (Abbott, 1981). The problem remains unjustified when the prison culture develops into a completely jungle-culture. Might is right becomes the fountain light of the prison culture. Selfishness dominates the modes of behavior of the prisoners. In the free world, everywhere there is always a law compelling humans to abide by certain frame of rules. If they violate the rules, they are punished. For their punishment, the authorities adopt many ways and the most familiar of these ways is that they are imprisoned. But what to do with the prisoners when they violate the laws? There is no justified method available to the jail authorities to punish the prisoners. The only feasible procedure they practice is to punish them through torturing them physically. The said manner of punishment is against the principle of morality. The inmates inside the prisons are dealt with inhumanely. Cruelty forms the basic law for the officers. Prison officials tackle the prisoners in such a way that a feeling of despair, hopelessness and disparity develops in them. The sense of disparity compels the prisoners to violate all the laws of humanity. They form the same of their own which have newer meanings. These altogether changed norms and attitudes form a subculture which becomes that of all the inmates. The subculture is formed on the basis of hatred and everything is designed in such a way as to present the complete contradiction of the free world. They in fact, in their own understandings, seem to have devised a war-plan against the human society and culture which is in practice in the rest of the world. Prison culture of the present compels the prisoners to adopt many practices which make them behave like abnormal persons. It is because a normal person would surely have hesitated in doing such works. It has become the norm of the prison inmate subculture that every crime is rejoiced here like an achievement. They take pride in their criminal mentality and the bigger is the crime, the more is the criminal applauded. Homosexuality is yet another example which the prisoners adopt out of despair. Most of them are normally heterosexual but to find their way home, they start satisfying themselves with the most unnatural procedure. They however have to do this and go like this as they find no alternative. Prisons are usually separated on the basis of gender and the sex activity inside the prisons often goes between the persons of same sexes. Once again the principle of might is right takes effect and the powerful rapes the weak. The powerful enjoys and the weaker suffers (Sykes, 1958). Gangsters are specific for the powerful class inside the prison culture. The story of the prison inmate subculture can never be devoid of their mention. They commit every crime which can be possible inside the bars of the prison. They smuggle illegal things into the prison; they gamble; they loot; they steal; they torture the weak and they even do not hesitate to murder someone who goes against their wishes. They usually live inside the prisons in groups and to challenge them is a dreadful dream. Prison history with regard to culture and inmate subculture is thus horrible. It is nightmare of today. Living in prison culture is but to live in a jungle where the powerful is rewarded and the weaker exploited. What is tragic is that prison must serve for the welfare of the society. Prison is an institution established for the rehabilitation of prisoners and the merciless approach of the society towards them have denied them their due rights. Observations Camp interviewed a number of prisoners about the factors which affect the environment of prisons. The interview was conducted in both the public as well as private prisons. The elements of gang activity food, sanitation, safety and security in both the prisons were the main fields of the interview. Camp declared that prisoners in public prisons feel less satisfied over all the elements than those in the private prisons (2002). Overcrowding in turn has lessened the chances of rehabilitation of the prisoners because they remain unable to get benefit of the healthy activities inside the prisons. Private prisons have however shown better results in the sense (Schleifer, 1998). The inmate code is strictly followed in the prison. The implementing authority is the dreadful network of the most villain persons of the free society. Those who violated the terms of the rules either by the role of an informer, by gambling, by lending, by borrowing or by falling into a dispute with other prisoners were badly punished. They were severely tortured and even put to death inside the prison. Similarly those who propagated hopelessness while always busy in telling others that he had not committed the crime he had sentenced for was also considered against the morality of the prison (Schleifer, 1998). Prisons have a special language with a particular terminology for the identification purpose. For example in a study of the prisons of New Jersey State, it was noticed that special argots performed the most active role in the organization of inmates among themselves. For instance, it was found that the black market of illegal goods was controlled by two inmate groups: merchants and guerillas. Merchants bought and sold the smuggled goods for cigarettes while the guerillas would fire on the weak through theft and muscle use to provide themselves and their fiends with smuggled goods. Wolves were old tough inmates who took their sexually aggressive masculine part. Punks were younger and weaker hence falling prey to the wolves. Both of them were heterosexual before imprisonment but the prison made them forced for homosexuality. Fags were already homosexual and they continued their work in prison as well. Similarly lesbians are called butches in the prison inmate subculture (Lockwood, 1980). Gangsters are also an important factor of the prison inmate subculture. The illegal supply and distribution of goods into and in the prison is carried out by such groups. They are venturesome always prepared to commit every kind of crime. They are indulged in drug-trafficking, gambling and torturing. They use the procedure of group-intimidation through the use of muscular force sometimes extremely violent. After the study of 116 prisoners released on parole, the terminologies were: thieves referred to professional robbers; dopee meant drug-addict; heads referred to the marijuana users; state-raised youth meant those criminals who had spent most of their life in prison and so on. The linguistics is extremely interesting (Irwin, 1985). Clemmer has termed the subculture as Prisonization to study the prison culture in its broader sense. He defined the term as “the taking on in greater or lesser degree of the folkways, mores, customs, and general culture of the penitentiary” (1958). Clemmer believed that the inmate subculture is the outcome of the anxieties the prison haves for the inmates and the longer they remain in prison, the more are they exposed to the subculture. For some of the acts, the inmates are often compelled; for example homosexuality either in males or females. In fact subculture develops when the inmates seek help to adjust against the deprivations of the confinement (Clemmer, 1958). A shortcoming which the prisons have in general is the deficiency of staff. The staff often proves less enough to combat the chaos produced by the inmates. Besides, it is revealed that the staff is often less qualified. The lack of qualification makes them less trained in the affairs of the prison. This is the reason that often they indulge in physical confrontation with the inmates. Due to the deficiency of staff, often the inmates have attempted escapes. Due to the lack of qualification of the staff, the physical confrontations have dragged the inmates to courts and before the police. The practice has benefitted none but an increase in the hostile feelings among the inmates have been noted which in turn aggravated the appearance of the inmate subculture (Schleifer, 1998). Gang culture is a curse in the prison society revealed during the study. It is more important to be concentrated upon than any other aspect of the issue. During investigations, inmates expressed their concern of the gang culture. They told that it creates turmoil which engulfs all activities. It has produced a world inside the prison which is beyond imagination and which is unpredictable. Gangs are the most powerful mafia inside the prison who had anchor role in determining the etiquettes for the prison culture (Schleifer, 1998). Long term solitary confinement marks the tragedies inside the bars. It is a physical as well as mental torture. It is the clear violation of the laws. Solitary confinement for long leaves the human but a wreckage of bones having lost all his feelings. The psychological scars do not diminish nor disappear during the whole course of life. The memories of the solitary confinement irritate him for the whole of his life. Examination revealed that those who were solitary confined for long term, sat all alone. They always looked like drowned in the sea of sorrows. All the inmates did laugh at them but they had no interest in the so called gossiping of the prison. They seemed broken up with no ideals in their hearts. On the other hand, the observations revealed that the private prisons’ staff had proved to be more systematic and friendly. The ways they behave suggested that they were well qualified in the knowledge of prison. Moreover they were well trained to face any untoward situation. Furthermore, it showed that due to the fine the government imposed on the private prisons for the reasons of not providing quality services, these prisons strove more than the public prisons. They were ideal in giving a helping hand to the inmates. The inmates replied them in a better way as well; private prisons had comparatively less violence. They were more mannered and more sophisticated. Data revealed that the inmates freed from private prisons showed more inclination towards a changed behavior. Often have they become a useful instrument of the society (Schleifer, 1998). Prison history is always marked by the cruelties of the guards inflicted upon the prisoners. It has been noticed that the prisoners are severely beaten and made to crawl, sit and stand and many other exercises have forcefully been done on them. However this is also noteworthy that the prisoners bring with them their criminal behavior from the outside world. If they had been thieves outside the prison, they attempt the same in prison as well. Thus the series of interviews shows that thieves were assigned the same duties by the gangs what they had been doing in the past though honorable in the prisons (Sykes, 1958). Recommendations Human Rights are the basic requirements of human beings. Each human must be given an access to avail his basic rights without any hindrance. The fundamental principle of human rights also applies to those humans who are inside the bars of the prison. Prison does not mean that humans would lose their identity and fundamental shares in joys and pleasures like any other free human can have. However these rights are restricted to the point where they do not harm the purpose of confinement. They deserve cleanliness, good food, hygiene, sanitation and all other facilities they can have at their homes however no freedom. As mentioned earlier, the subculture is the product of the prisoners’ sense of deprivation. Subculture makes tem more criminal and it happens because they are treated inhumanly in the prisons. Overburdening the prisoners by forcing them to live together like in a cage and taking more work of them is the first brick that is laid in the process. Overcrowding must therefore be completely banned. Every prison must have a specified limit of strength and beyond the specified strength, each new entry needs to be declared outlaw. Prisons must act as rehabilitation centers which aim at turning the criminal nature into a more beneficial one. State should pass laws as to allow a certain number of prisoners into one barrack only. Private prisons have proved to be more beneficial for the society because they are provided with facilities for the prisoners. They have proved to be better rehabilitative than the public prisons because prisoners are treated there humanely. Prisoners need to be considered humans like those of the free world. While treating them, the vision must be clear; to make them a beneficial part of the society. Summary Prisons are the medium of punishment designed in all the human societies since history. They aim at the purification of society by eliminating its criminal factor. Criminals are confined so that the society becomes free of the harsh consequences of criminal natures. Prisons have a culture of their own which is completely different from the culture of the free world. Prison has self-defined norms, attitudes, mores, folkways and traditions. It has an inmate subculture which is specifically designed. The language use therein is completely different fro he outer world with special terminologies. The language used is abusive and the culture promotes the feelings of hatred and animosity instead of curing them. Bitter mentality created due to the ruthless approach of the office results in a cruel culture inside the prison. Observations have proved that due to partial behaviors with the prisoners of public and private prisons, the prisoners of private prisons have shown better results. They are more civilized and more human than those from the public prison. It is because they were treated better and provided with more facilities. Subculture in the public prisons often results in biggest human tragedies; punishments, tortures and deaths often compose the story there. What the prison culture requires is the soft corner of heart from the government. Prison must be intended at turning the criminals into a useful citizen of the society instead of eliminating them. Prisons must be provided with opportunities for the criminals to rebuild themselves. Criminals must be taught the lessons of humanity and the ugly practices like gang-formations and homosexuality banned with suitable alternatives. References Clemmer, D. (1958). The prison community. New York: Rinehart. Steiner, B., & Wooldredge, J. (June 01, 2009). Rethinking the link between institutional crowding and inmate misconduct. Prison Journal, 89, 2, 205-233. Camp, S. D., Gaes, G. G., Klein-Saffran, J., Daggett, D. M., & Saylor, W. G. (June 06, 2002). Using Inmate Survey Data in Assessing Prison Performance: A Case Study Comparing Private and Public Prisons. Criminal Justice Review, 27, 1.) Mitchell, M. F. (2003). The pros of privately-housed cons: New evidence on the cost savings of private prisons. Tijeras, N.M: Rio Grande Foundation. Taylor, P., & Cooper, C. (n.d.). 'It was absolute hell': inside the private prison. (http://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/15282/1/Capital_and_Class_Prison_Privatization.pdf.) CSE. Schleifer, A. (January 01, 1998). Symposia - The Firm and its Boundaries - "State versus Private Ownership". The Journal of Economic Perspectives : a Journal of the American Economic Association, 12, 4, 133. Hassine, V. (2009). Life without parole: Living in prison today. New York, N.Y: Oxford University Press. Sykes, G. M. (1958). The society of captives: A study of a maximum security prison. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. Abbott, J. H. (1981). In the belly of the beast: Letters from prison. New York: Random House. Lockwood, D. (1980). Prison sexual violence. New York: Elsevier North Holland. Irwin, J. (1985). The jail: Managing the underclass in American society. Berkeley: University of California Press. Read More