Chapter 11: Prison Life for Inmates - Exam 3

Who developed the concept of total institution?

Canadian/American Sociologist and Writer Erving Goffman

What does total institution include?

Staff supervise all spheres of daily life, environment highly standardized with same set of activities, rules/schedules dictate how each daily activity is performed

What was Erving’s take on the concept of total institutions?

It may work for some, but others become confused hostile, bitter, and reduces individuals’ capacity for independent living

When the Stanford prison experiment?

1961

Describe the Stanford Prison Experient

Professor at Stanford University hosted a mock prison in basement to last 2 weeks where students were recruited as either guard or prisoner; guards abused their power and prisoners became subservient, so it had to cancelled after the first week

Who came up with the term prisonization?

Donald Clemmer

Prisonization

The process by which inmates take on (in greater or lesser degree) the folkways, mores, customs, and general culture of the penitentiary

According to prisonization, when inmates learn the behaviors needed to survive in prison this leads to an increased identification with a ______ ______

Criminal Lifestyle

The Inmate Code

Do your own time, be a standup guy, don’t be a rat, don’t trust guards, don’t exploit other inmates, maintain dignity and respect, settle conflicts between inmates, respect the real “cons”

Who developed the three types of offenders that bring characteristics to the prison setting?

Irwin and Cressey

What are the three types of offenders that bring characteristics to the prison setting?

Convicts, thieves, and square johns

Convicts

Long-term inmates, often grew up in foster homes or juvenile institutions

Thieves

Inmates who have adopted a career of crime

Square Johns

Usually first-time offenders who identify with “traditional” society

Inmate Dialect

Inmates adopt dialect particular to the prison and area

What are the two types of violence in prisons?

Interpersonal and collective

Interpersonal Violence

Occurs between individual inmates and involves personal issues

Collective Violence

Initiated by groups of inmates and creates person riots and disturbances

What are the types of inmates that are prone to violence?

Antisocial, special needs, and psychopathic

How are antisocial inmates prone to violence?

Use force and coercion and violence works for them

How are special needs inmates prone to violence?

Unable to function well and often react with violence

How are psychopathic inmates prone to violence?

Predatory, cold, calculating and violence is simply for enjoyment

What are prison gangs seen dating back to?

1960s

Prison Gangs

Organized groups joined for power, money, protection, control, and carry out criminal activities within the prison and outside the prison; statistically related to violence and misconduct

What is the mission of prison gangs?

Recruits intimidate, control drug trade, blood in, and blood out

Many prison gangs are an extension of ____ ____ and have extensive criminal history

Street gangs

How do you identify gang members?

Self admission, information from a PSI, confiscated gang documents, violation of prison rules that indicate gang involvement, involvement with known gang members (association), tattoos indicating gang affiliation (most common)

What are the six measures to control prison gangs?

Transfer to max security, limiting access to money, placing most violence-prone in special facilities, developing gang intel, recruiting informants, and observing daily routine to ID patterns and associates

True or False: Homosexual behavior in prison is prohibited

True

Why do most assaults occur in prison?

To generate fear and to gain control

Why does homosexual intercourse happen to men in prison?

Most in a form of power and control male may submit for protection

Why does homosexual intercourse happen to women in prison?

Often relationships are in the form of pseudo families for emotional support

What are the consequences of single sex prisons (sexually)?

Sexual triangles

What does PREA stand for?

Prison Rape Elimination Act

PREA

Staff training, inmate education, classification at intake, zero tolerance, reporting procedures, investigative protocols, mandatory separation, and inmate victim aftercare

What does PREA include?

Inmates informed that sexual assault is a possibility and they have the option to report and be separated from aggressor, staff watch for signs and question potential targets, and staff members investigate every allegation and separate as precautionary measure

True or False: Not many inmates are addicts

False

True or False: Drugs generate large profits in prison

True

How do you reduce drugs in prison?

Searching of inmates, visitors, staff, and occupied areas, random drug testing, and new technology such as an ION scan (full body scan)