Question

Describe how a culture of violence in high security prisons is perpetuated by the process of informal socialization. What steps could be taken by administrative personnel to address this issue? Could a training program be implemented? Would inmates be included in the process?

Answer 1

• The day-to-day experiences of inmates are affected by an informal organization among inmates known to criminologists as the inmate subculture is equally influential. The inmate subculture is comprised of a peculiar language and a distinctive set of informal norms, attitudes, beliefs, values, statuses, and roles that give prisoners a different perspective from people on the outside.
• The deprivation model holds, in brief, that the prison environment and loss of freedom cause deep psychological trauma so that for reasons of psychological self-preservation prisoners create a deviant prison subculture that promotes violence.
• The importation model emphasises what prisoners bring into the institution: their histories, personal attributes and social networks, including links to criminal groups leading to development of violence.
• Programs to reduce violence can be conducted by the jailers addressing offender characteristics that are capable of change and predictive of future criminal activities, such as antisocial attitudes and behaviour, drug use, anger responses.They can use treatment modes and delivery styles that take account of offender learning styles and abilities.
  
• Given the positive relationship between prison violence and prisoner drug taking, substance abuse programs in prisons may also be useful for reducing prison violence, particularly prisoner-prisoner assaults.