Inmate/Prison Subculture

Have you ever wondered if prisoner’s have their own rules? In prison all organizations

have a set of values, and rules that guide behavior. These rules dictate what behaviors are

deemed acceptable, and those unacceptable. In prisons inmates have created their own language,

systems that allows them to communicate with others. Inmates have built this system to which

there are the only ones who understand it, a language that is separate from the outside world.

Inmates have also created a trading economy, allowing them to be able to exchange goods such

as foods, drugs, and sexual favors. In prison inmates have a subculture which is a system that is

determined by power, it often involves violence.

In prison there are two types of rules, the first rules are the administration and second are

the inmate’s rules, called the convict code. For inmates this means “you don’t get into other

people’s business, you don’t let others know about your business, and you don’t tell on nobody,

you respect yourself and those around you” (The Convict Code-Prison Life P.1). Inmates are

known to stick with their own race and form in large groups to be seen dominant and they don’t

associate with other groups. These set of rules are the ones inmates must follow first, if they

want to survive in prison. “Thus, behavior respected behind the walls of a prison are similar to

behaviors respected among the criminal population outside of the prison” (Prison Subculture).

These rules are often referred as codes of the streets, and communities value respect, loyalty,

toughness, and anti-police sentiments. “For some prisoners this means defending against the

dangerousness and deprivation of the surrounding environment by embracing all of its informal

norms, including some of the most exploitative and extreme values of prison life” (Dave &

Tabitha Raber ,2019, p.85). In the end the convict code has encouraged inmates to be tough, be

loyal to the gang, don’t become friendly with other gangs or officers, and avoid snitching.
 In prison inmates do not allow snitching or rats, they dislike them since they tend to get

others in trouble or make themselves look better. In prison word gets around fast, at some point

the other inmates will find out about someone who is a snitch, that person will get exposed.

“Snitching is when an inmate informs on another inmate to a correction officer, often about

misconduct like violence they’ve carried out or contraband items like weapons or frugs they

possess” (Abadi, 2019). When you are a snitch, you are considered a traitor for the rest of your

time you are serving. The consequences are deadly when you are a snitch, you become a target to

other inmates. Most people snitch on people they have intimate relationships with, they also tell

on family members (How to deal with prison snitches – Prison talk). A snitch does not want to

face the consequences for their actions so, they snitch on others to police. They do this because

they know the consequence of being a snitch and to avoid jail or prison. “Snitching is to reduce

or potentially eliminate the amount of time served in jail or prison. Police may help a snitch to

get out of jail on an agreement that they have to provide information about the illegal activities

of other” (Snitching-the forbidden bad fruit, 2019). A snitch will give up any information as long

as it benefits him or her. No snitching is the most sacred principle of life in jail or prison, those

who break this rule face violent consequences. Inmates must think twice before sharing any

knowledge with others, one little slip and you could be labeled as a snitch. “You’ve got to watch

everything that goes out of your mouth, because if you don’t, and it’s characterized as

information that is privileged and you share it, you have become target, and you don’t know if

you’re going to live or die” (Abadi, 2019).

When an inmate breaks the most sacred rule there are consequences, these consequences

range from getting jumped, humiliated, or killed. There is a saying “snitches get stiches” which

refers to informants will be attacked. Inmates will consider you a backstabber since you have
given authorities information, they can use against them and increasing their sentence. But

snitching has its risks, snitches give information to police and feeling as if they are reducing

crime. But the deeper they dive into details about illegal activities they are in a way exposing

themselves by sharing information about the game. “Snitches run the risk of retaliation if they

are not caught by the police while continuing their illegal activities. They can still end up in jail

or prison after getting leniency from the district attorney” (Abadi, 2019). In the end snitching is a

big gamble, it can either go against you or play in your favor. Also, once a person snitches,

people loose trust in them. In communities they are seen as an enemy, one that must be dealt

with.

Prison rape is something inmates fear while being in incarcerated. Prison is a challenge

for anybody that walks through the gates, you are never guaranteed anything especially your

safety. “There were a reported 24, 661 allegations of sexual victimization by inmates in 2015, an

amount nearly triple that of 201. Of the 24,661 allegations, 1,473 were considered substantiated.

Of these substantiated incidents, 58% were perpetrated by inmates and 42% by staff” (Bureau of

Justice, 2018). It’s important to understand that prison rape doesn’t just affect inmates, this also

affects guards. “Prison rape has become a serious concern for facilities and so upon intake,

offenders are provided with information on how to report incidents of sexual violence, sexual

misconduct or sexual harassment by other inmates or officers” (Dave & Tabitha Raber ,2019,

p.74). Rape victims are severely traumatized and often describe their assault as a loss of their

soul. Most often victims will feel ashamed and lost. It’s a sensitive subject to talk about since

they often feel embarrassed. Incarcerated victims’ reaction to the assault include depression,

social withdrawal – fear to be in certain less supervised areas of the prison, fear, paranoia, or

anxiety (Martyniuk, 2013). One of the high areas of rape are in transgender community which is
particularly vulnerable to sexual assault and rape within prisons. The number of victims of

sexual violence is staggering, “A recent CDCR study showed that sixty-seven percent of lesbian,

gay, bisexual, and transgender (“LGBT”) prisoners reported having experienced sexual assault –

a rate that is fifteen times higher than the rate for overall population” (Dave & Tabitha Raber ,

2019, p.124). Rape victims have a psychological impact this various from, loss of self-esteem,

self-hatred, and considering or attempting suicide. Inmate’s victims have reported sexual assault,

both employees and inmates, “revealed that under-reporting is in part because complaints are

either ignored or handled improperly and perpetrators almost never face criminal charges”

(Martyniuk, 2013). When male victims report their assault, they are often ignored and are told to

“man up” and when women reported their assault their case was filed but throughout the time it

was never discussed. An effect of prion rape has provided an opportunity for spreading sexually

transmitted diseases, a matter of particular concern in prisons, where HIV infections rates are

higher than in the general population (Sexual violence inside prisons: rates of victimization,

2006). Research suggests that rates of sexual victimization in prison may be as high as 41% or as

low as less than 1%.

Next, we look at prisonization which refers to the process by which inmates adapt to

prison life by adopting the mores and customs of inmate subcultures. Inmates become apart of a

prison society and later result in the continuity of prison culture. “Prisonization, like

socialization, is an educational process whereby inmates learn prison culture through social

interaction” (Naderi, 2014). Inmates are able to interact with other inmates which builds a bond,

making a connection between both inmates. “Gradually segregation from free society and

deprivation of essential rights leads to a sense of change in the new inmates, as they are

assimilated into the inmate culture” (Sanyal, 1981). New inmates must first learn the inmate
culture that surrounds them, throughout time new inmates will mold into an inmate who has had

experienced with the culture inside the prison. The process of prisonization involves the

incorporations of the norms of prison life into one’s habits of thinking, feeling, and acting (Dave

& Tabitha Raber ,2019, p.81). They are swallowed into the culture and are made a unique

character. Prisonization is adapting to the formal rules that are imposed in the institution, and

they are as difficult to relinquish upon release (Dave & Tabitha Raber ,2019, p.86). Once

inmates have gotten used to the culture in prison, it is a difficult task to break out of when

released back into society. There are various patterns of inmate behavior, they are influenced by

values and personality of each individual inmate. The first one being, doing time; these inmates

follow rules and “do whatever they are told in order to speed up their release and re-entry their

communities and reclaim their freedoms” (Inmates learn to adapt). Second is jailing, most

convicts were in juvenile detention facilities, this allows them to establish themselves in the

power structure within prison culture. They know the rules and how the game is played. Third is

gleaning, inmates will enter in programs that help them rehabilitate back into society. Finally,

disorganized, “these criminals exist on the fringe of prison society. Most will have mental health

issues and exhibit lower levels of intelligence, which prevent them from adapting to prison

culture” (Inmates learn to adapt).

Inmates have their own culture; they value different things such as having their own rules

that apply to every inmate that walks through those gates. Inmate in prisons have created a

system of their own, they breath and speak a different language, a language that is separate from

the outside world. Inmates have set a system in place that could have consequence if they aren’t

followed. In prison inmates have a subculture which is a system that is determined by power and

involving violence.
 References

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learned how dangerous it can be to break the most important rule of life behind bars.

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Introduction to Corrections. 2019. Dave & Tabitha Raber

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