Inmate Subcultures in the Movies - Essay Example

Law Inmate Subcultures Ever watched films such as “Escape from Alcatraz” released in year 1979 and “The Shawshank Redemption” released in 1994? For those born after 1990, it might be hard to know what happened in these films since during the time the movies were released they were children. Nonetheless, some of the latest films from year 2000 for those who are not familiar with the old prison films in the 1990s include “Law abiding citizens” released in 2009. These are some of the best prison films which provide a viewer with an image or idea of what life inside the prison is all about and the lives of prisoners when with the general population after serving a prison sentence. These are not good prison films because they show criminals suffering behind bars, but they are good because the actors capture those moments as if they were real. Though there are critics that may argue that the films do not provide an authentic presentation of prison life, the film directors try as much to capture all the details. In United States, prisoners have always had to adapt to so many pressures which most of them have to adapt to so as to survive while in prisons (Pollock, 2011). This has always been the turn of events in the last few decades. In the last seven to nine years, the criminal justice system has transformed and it is now changed the way most prisons are today. As noted by the prisoners who are there today, the challenges that the Federal Bureau of Prisons registers in its records from prisons shows that they have intensified and exchanged as opposed to the way they were 20 or 30 years ago (Thistlethwaite & Wooldredge, 2014). All prisons have a specific subculture that is exceptional only to them. It is the functional code or a system of beliefs that inmates adhere by when in any prison. However, looking at the behavior of inmates while in prison it is important to know the terms involved. What is a prison subculture? Thistlethwaite and Wooldredge (2014) it is a means of adapting to the deprivations that inmates face while in prison. According to Blackbrun, Pollock and Fowler (2012), prisoner subculture refers to the inmate code which is the set code of behavior among inmates, or special languages or values and prisoner roles. From this description, the subculture of prisoners shows that it is usually associated with negative use of words such as “sissys” and “punks” (Blackbrun, Pollock and Fowler, 2012). Based on what Blackbrun, Pollock and Fowler (2012) see as a prison subculture, development of such prisoner roles, and behavior or language comes as a result of prisoners bringing their own beliefs into the prison. It is not only based on the deprivations that comes a result of imprisonment. Like any other society, prisons also operate like societies, with their own beliefs, lifestyles and systems. This is why it is a prison subculture because the residents who are the inmates have their own way of living their lives while behind the walls and have their own rules. Therefore, how do the inmates become socialized into such prison cultures? The answer ranges, depending on the type of prison that an inmate goes to even when it is in a different state. When there are new inmates in a prison, they know that they have to adapt to the way of life for that specific prison. Therefore, this process becomes what researchers see as the imprisonment of people. For most prisoners, it is not about the process of learning how they can deal with the prison staff, but rather on how to deal with other prisoners. This has an impact particularly when it comes to their roles or status (Thistlethwaite & Wooldredge, 2014). The prison staff also has a role to play because they are the ones who influence the type of informal organizations that inmates group themselves into which inside or outside a prison (Randall, 2005). It is more important to note that the prison subculture has factors such as status and hierarchy that play an important role. One thing that a prisoner is certain is that the adaptation process is always difficult. This is why it is not surprising to see that at times such prisoners creating certain habits which are only dysfunctional when it comes to adjusting to prison life. For example, the physical or psychological effects of incarceration tend to differ when it comes to prison inmates. Some inmates also become violent and others may seem withdrawn. Clearly, prisons are a dangerous place, even if most prison wardens claim they are safe for visiting by people who have loved ones who are inmates. As logic dictates, there are no ways out or escape tunnels and this is why new inmates have to learn fast how to make the switch from being dependent on others such as their fathers and mothers to becoming extremely vigilant because they have to look out for potential threats. The risk of dying or being molested is extremely high in prisons because there are always those inmates who want to take advantage of the weak. The existence of subcultures in prisons has made it necessary for most prisoners to believe that unless an inmate conveys that they have a potential for violence, they end up becoming exploited by the strong inmates. This happens whether it is physical exploitation or psychological exploitation (Thistlethwaite & Wooldredge, 2014). Based on what I learnt after watching the films mentioned earlier, it is evident that new inmates avoid being dominated by the stronger and older inmates by conveying themselves as tough convicts. It is not surprising to see most of them killing those who provoke them. It is a subculture forced upon the new inmates who want to survive living in prisons. Luckily, most of the psychological effects are reversible and the physical effects do not necessarily make an inmate disabled or physically damaged from this experience. Nevertheless, this does not mean that the experiences that inmates get while in prisons are not painful or that they do not suffer challenges that come with living and interacting with all the other criminals in a prison. The subculture in prisons in very different no matter which country a person visits (Beauregard & Brochu, 2013). To understand how the subcultures in prisons work, looking at the small communities in a larger society is likely to provide upcoming researchers with an idea of what it entails. In America, the prison subculture differs in so many ways, from what most free citizens know. In the world outside the prison walls, people usually strive to target and achieve what they see as their highest potentials. For example, the respect earned by free citizens might be through getting an education, dedicating to the world through the achievements they make in their career or getting involved in charitable projects or community voluntary services. In prison, such contributions are under the null and void category because they do not have any value. Though there are critics who would want to argue that prisons are good rehabilitation centers, my opinion differs. Prisons are oppressive societies. From personal observation, there are no prisoners who say they are guilty, which is one of the perfect indications that no one likes being inside a prison. It is not only the subculture that forces prisoners to concern themselves with other qualifications other than those that people outside the walls value, but the ability to survive (Pollock, 2011). Similar to the life in a jungle, a person has to develop survival instincts lest he or she becomes food for predators or succumbs to illnesses. For inmates, focusing on how to cope with a small society full of dysfunctional citizens is one of the ways to make it to another day. One may want to argue that there are staff members or the guards who protect the inmates from killing or molesting each other. Yes, they are there, but they cannot offer an inmate the full protection they need. Outside the prison walls, people still get killed and kidnapped even when there are law enforcement officials lurking in all corners. Similarly, prisoners get protection from guards, but not always. The prison code among the inmates is more likely to act as a security policy than the protection new inmates get from prison staff (Randall, 2005). The code has its foundation from two principles, where inmates have to learn how to exercise loyalty for other inmates and not trust the prison staff. For students taking law, such codes indicate that the prison subculture has its roots from a reversed hierarchy, different from what those outside the walls in America use as a rule. For example, to a law-abiding citizen in America, inmates guilty of killing police officers are what most would see as the worst criminals. However, in prisons the prison code allows such offenders to become what other inmates see as “great cop-killers”. Shockingly, other inmates admire such offenders and view them as the most powerful (Mulcahy, Merrington & Bell, 2013). As noted from this code, the rules are not applicable when outside the prison walls. Lastly, it is evident that in most prisons such as the high-security prisons, it is only the hostility and power grabbing aspect of life that prison inmates are likely to embrace. From the prison subcultures, it is evident that prisoners will always form groups which enable them to create their own identities when they are inside the prisons. Since most inmates serve many years and decades together, focusing on having a good prison reputation as a fierce inmate, works more than focusing on the level of education one has or the academic honors one possesses. This is why inmate subcultures are important because it allows the inmates to get the respect they deem important in their small community. For most it means that they abide by the prison code mentioned earlier. The prison code allows them to learn several rules such as not interfering with other inmate’s business, not exploiting other inmates and not complaining or trusting the prison staff. Therefore, the inmate subculture is the key to a prisoner’s means to gaining a reputation that other inmates deem as important. References Beauregard, V & Brochu, S. (2013). Gambling behind bars: does prison provide ideal conditions? Journal of Gambling, 28(1), 1-25. Blackburn, A., Pollock, J., & Fowler, S. (2012). Prisons: Today and tomorrow. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Mulcahy, E., Merrington, S., & Bell, P. (2013). The radicalization of prison inmates: Exploring recruitment, religion and prisoner vulnerability. Journal of Human Security, 9(1), 4-14. Pollock, J. (2011). Crime and justice in America: An introduction to criminal justice. London: Routledge. Randall, W. (2005). Going to teach in prisons: culture shock. Journal of correctional education, 56(1), 19-38. Thistlethwaite, A. & Wooldredge, J. (2014). “Part III, Corrections: Inmate Subcultures.” In Forty Studies that Changed Criminal Justice: Explorations into the History of Criminal Justice Research. Boston: Little, Brown & Company Read More