Inmate Society

For many years, criminal justice experts maintained that inmates formed their own world with a unique set of norms and rules known as the inmate subcul­ture. A significant aspect of the inmate subculture was a unique social code, unwritten guidelines that express the values, attitudes, and types of behaviour that older inmates demand of young ones. Passed on from one generation of inmates to another, the inmate social code represents the values of interpersonal relations within the prison.

National attention was drawn to the inmate social code and subculture by Don­ald Clemmer. In The Prison Community, Clemmer presented a detailed sociologi­cal study of life in a maximum-security prison. Referring to thousands of con­servations and interviews, as well as to inmate essays and biographies, Clemmer was able to identify a unique language (argot) that prisoners use. In addition, Clemmer found that prisoners tend to group themselves into cliques on the basis of such personal criteria as sexual preference, political beliefs, and offense history. He found complex sexual relationships in prison and concluded that many het­erosexual men will turn to homosexual relationships when faced with long sen­tences and the loneliness of prison life. The nature and extent of homosexual rela­tionships in prison is still unknown. The fact that estimates of voluntary homosexual relationships made by prison experts have ranged between 15 and 90 percent is an indication that this aspect of prison life remains hidden.

Clemmer's most important contribution may have been his identification of the prisonization process. This he defined as the inmate's assimilation into the exist­ing prison culture through acceptance of its language, sexual code, and norms of behaviour. Those who become the most "prisonized" will be the least likely to reform on the outside.

Using Clemmer's work as a jumping-off point, a number of prominent sociolo­gists set out to explore more fully the various roles in the prison community. For example, in one important analysis entitled The Society of Captives, Gresham Sykes further defined prison argot and argued that the prison culture exists in response to the deprivations presented by the prison. Later, writing with Shel­don Messinger, Sykes identified the following as the most important principles of the prison community:

1. Don't interfere with inmates' interests. Within-this area of the code are max­ims concerning the serving of the least amount of time in the greatest possible comfort. For example, inmates are warned... never [to betray another] inmate to authorities;... [in other words,] grievances must be handled personally. Other aspects of the noninterference doctrine include "Don't be nosy," "Don't have a loose lip," "Keep off [the other inmates' backs]," and "Don't put [another inmate] on the spot."

2. Don't lose your head. Inmates are also cautioned to refrain from arguing, [quarreling, or engaging in] other emotional displays with fellow inmates. The novice may hear such warnings as "Play it cool" and "Do your own time."

3. Don't exploit inmates. Prisoners are warned not to take advantage of one another – "Don't steal from cons," Don't welsh on a debt," "Be right."

4. Inmates are cautioned to be tough and not lose their dignity. While rule 2 forbids conflict, once it starts, an inmate must be prepared to deal with it effec­tively and [thoroughly]. Maxims include "Don't cop out," "Don't weaken," "Be tough; be a man."

5. Don't be a sucker. Inmates are cautioned not to make fools... of themselves and support the guards or prison administration over the interest of the inmates – "Be sharp." According to Sykes and Messinger, some inmates violate the code and exploit their peers, while the "right guy" is someone who personalizes the inmate social code as his personal behavior guide:

A right guy is always loyal to his fellow prisoners. He never lets you down, no matter how rough things get. He keeps his promises. He's dependable and trustworthy.... The "right guy" never interferes with inmates who are conniving against the officials. He doesn't go around looking for a fight, but he never runs away from one when he is in the right... he acts like a man.

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