The Inmate Subculture in United States Prisons: An Overview Essay

For over centuries, the only form of punishment and discouragement for humans is through the prison system. Because of this, these humans or inmates, are sentenced to spend a significant part of their life in a confined, small room. With that being said, the prison life can leave a remarkable toll on the inmates life in many different categories. The first and arguably most important comes in the form of mental health. Living in prison with have a great impact on the psychological part of your life. For example, The prison life is a very much different way of life than what us “normal” humans are accustomed to living in our society. Once that inmate takes their first step inside their new society, their whole mindset on how to live and communicate changes. The inmate’s psychological beliefs about what is right and wrong are in questioned as well as everything else they learned in the outside world. In a way, prison is a never ending mind game you are playing against yourself with no chance of wining. Other than the mental aspect of prison, family plays a very important role in an inmate’s sentence. Family can be the “make it or break it” deal for a lot of inmates. It is often said that “when a person gets sentenced to prison, the whole family serves the sentence.” Well, for many inmates that is the exact case. While that prisoner serves their time behind bars, their family is on the outside waiting in anticipation for their loved ones to be released. In a way, the families

Prisons hide prisoners from society. “If an inmate population is shut in, the free community is shut out, and the vision of men held in custody is, in part, prevented from arising to prick the conscience of those who abide by the social rules” (Sykes, 1958, 8). The prison is an instrument of the state. However, the prison reacts and acts based on other groups in the free community. Some believe imprisonment

Prison culture or the “values, norms and attitudes that inmates form in terms of institutional survival” (Bartollas, 2013), can be described in one of three models. The Deprivation Model describes the inmate’s behavior as the product of the environment, more specifically the attempt to adapt to that which he is deprived of as a result of incarceration (Bartollas, 2013). An example of such would be the pseudo family unit or physical relationships that inmates form as a result of the absence of such relationships while incarcerated.

However, the reality is that prisons are no longer designed as correctional facilities, but instead, obedience schools. Not only do prisons affect those incarcerated, they force society’s members into predefined roles (Anonymous, 2012). This is caused because prisons are designed

Through the obvious statistical evidence of the United States Prison system and the exploration of detrimental prison culture it becomes apparent that the system needs to be reformed. Prisons are not cost effective and they do not provide the right correctional help. The United States prison system is deeply flawed. Prison creates a culture that is detrimental to prisoners and all

Inmate culture is a concern to prison facility because of the impact it can burden upon the prison. The prison code, norm, values, and prison argot are part of their cultures. When an inmate enters into the correctional facility they will adopt a prison lifestyle. Therefore, when they are release many will do the" U-shape curve effective" according to Staton Wheeler. For instance, some inmates, that live a violent lifestyle will congregate with others with the same characteristics (Schmalleger & Smykia, 2016). In my opinion, a drug dealer or gang member will gain a position of importance in the prison setting it gives them a sense of power from other inmates. Donald Clemmer believes that inmates belief, value, and behaviors grow antisocial

As a population evolves, and moves forward, so do those who choose to defect from the accepted standards that a society has in place. This evolution of the population needs to be compensated for in the prison systems by adding new rules and regulations.

We will discuss two models for inmate subculture: the deprivation model and the importation model. The Deprivation model suggests that “the prisoners suffer and get frustrated due to the absence of liberty, privacy, free access to goods and services, heterosexual relationships, autonomy and security” (Stojkovic, Stan & Lovell, 1998). This theory clearly says that inmate subculture is evident through the pains of imprisonment. While the importation model says that the subculture is evident because the prisoners are replicating the outside world. This model includes the prisoner-staff dynamic, 3 types of inmates, various racial groups within the prison population, type of offence, record of recidivism (re-offending), personality differences (prior to imprisonment), power of “politicians” (top of the inmate social hierarchy), work gangs, work groups, and sexual “deviation” which would directly affect inmate subculture. Both inmate subculture models comprise of a behavior code, a power hierarchy, an economic system for illicit goods and service distributions and “argot”

This paper will explain what some states are doing about prison gangs to prevent them from increasing. The number one reason why staff say that they don't like prison is not due to the contraband or violence. “Prison gangs create the idea in other prisoners head that the prison staff is not in full control (Jane wood, Emma Alleyne, Katarina Mozova, Mark james,page 1).” A prison gang is described, “as a cohesive group of prisoners with a leader, whose criminal activities negatively impact the institution” (Jane wood, Emma Alleyne, Katarina Mozova, Mark james,page 2).

In a criminal point of view individuals, they fine it ver difficult and tend to struggle with adapting to the norms of life after being locked in a cell for long period of time. Adjusting to this includes getting a jobs, living freely (without probation) , and many other key points of survival.

For the most part, inmates, regardless of whether or not they are in solitary confinement, are insufficiently socialized in prison. Given this lack of proper

Anxiety is one of the most common side effects of confinement. This becomes a factor because the inmates are having a constant low level of stress, they become irritable, anxious, and have panic attacks. Also depression occurs from the lack of ability to experience feelings, so they withdrawal socially, and become lethargic. In the beginning stages of confinement, inmate could experience anger and have hostility, their impulse control could begin to lack more than usual, they can experience outbursts of violence, anger and rage. Because of the lack of stimulus perceptual distortions occur.

Some prisoners are plagued with Post Incarceration Syndrome, a combination of psychological problems. These problems are institutionalized and antisocial personality traits, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,

Excluding the members of the staff, prisons consist of individuals who have broken society’s set of laws. Prisons serve as a way to implement social order in the community. Different kinds of strategies are put forward in order for the prisoners to abide by the rules and be ready to get back in society, causing no threat to the community. However, despite the rules which exist, Goffman argues that inmates still create their own culture within themselves. They adapt themselves to the rules implemented, almost as if they create their own community within their own. He mentions: “It was then and still is my belief that any group of persons – prisoners, primitives, pilots, or patients – develop a life of their own that becomes meaningful, reasonable, and normal once you get close to it […]”. Prisons have a way of structuring individuals in order to make them conform. However, the inmates manage, in different ways to create a world of their own. For instance, they would have their own language, be it signs or code words, in order for the staff and the guards do not understand what they are communicating about. Moreover, within their own culture, they also develop their own sets of values which have to be respected. For example, inmates have their own groups, whereby, in order to fit in that specific group, the member has to conform to a certain set of norms and values implemented by his or her own peers. If those unofficial rules are not respected, sanctions might take place. Sanctions would be bullying or the member being set aside and excluded from certain

Once you enter a prison, you are in a completely different world. The sound of the door as it closes drives the realization home: your freedom is gone. Whatever luxuries you had before are gone. Everything you once took for granted you now long for, and contemplate with reverence. This being the case, there are now two new sets of rules you have to follow: the rules of the staff, and the rules of the inmates. Of course, these will conflict, but you have to deal with it now. Prison subculture is different from the outside world and even varies between men’s and women’s. The men’s subculture is probably the better known of the two. It has its own set of ebonics, attitudes, statuses, and values. Inmates say that