Chapter 12: The Prison Experience Flashcards
Total Institution
“A total institution is a place of work and residence where a great number of similarly situated people, cut off from the wider community for a considerable time, together lead an enclosed, formally administered round of life”.
Two Main Social Structures in Prison
- Official / Formal Structure = laws, rules and procedures that have been established under authorities at the local, state or federal level.
- Unofficial / Informal Structure = the inmate subculture.
The inmate subculture
Beliefs, customs, values, lifestyles and attitudes of inmates within a particular prison
Six main elements of the inmate code:
- Don’t interfere with the interests of other inmates
- Never “rat” on other inmates.
- Mind your own business.
- Don’t complain or whine
- Don’t exploit other inmates.
- Don’t trust prison guards or staff.
Prisonization
The process where new inmates learn and absorb the customs and beliefs of the prison subculture and learn how to adapt to life in prison
Inmate Personalities
The Mean Dude = a prisoner who gets into fights easily, accumulates numerous violations, is frequently sent to solitary confinement.
Opportunist = a prisoner who looks to take advantage of constructive and helpful prison programming for education and employment opportunities.
Legalist = a prisoner who battles the correctional system through the law, often referred to as a “jailhouse lawyer”
Hedonist = a prisoner who formulates their prison experience through whatever pleasure can be found; i.e. drugs, gambling, sex, etc.
Realist = a prisoner who views their incarceration as simply a part of doing the business of criminals, obeys the inmate code, avoids trouble.
Religious = a prisoner who possesses or has developed strong bonds with their religion whether they are “born again” or experienced a “come to Jesus” moment.
Pseudo-families
A pseudo-family is a group of inmates who have created a family-type structure, with the goal of providing support, both emotionally and economically, as well as protection, to each other.
Three Key Factors of Violence in Prison
- Inmate Age = can be reflected in how inmates identify and level of machismo.
- Race = gangs and groups typically form based on race.
- Attitude = comes from the level of violence in the prison subculture.
Five Main Causes of Violence in Prison
- Poor supervision by corrections personnel
- High tension levels caused by close proximity between inmates
- Size and design of the correctional facility
- Easy access to weapons
- Putting dangerous inmates in common spaces with non-dangerous inmates
What do you think is the common prison slang term for a new inmate?
Fish
When it comes to gangs, the convict code is also the code of…
Silence
Who gets more visitors in prison, males or females?
Males
Most women who are incarcerated went through a full court trial
False
How many inmates does Dorie Terrell have in her prison pseudo-family?
30
Which has more influence on violence in the prison subculture, attitudes brought in from the outside or attitudes developed inside the prison walls?
Inside
