Prisons

A detailed Summary of Prisons

Prisons were created with the objective of punishing individuals who had committed crimes against society. The basic premise of this idea was that by removing these undesirable individuals from the population they would no longer have the ability to harm society. Once these individuals were removed from society and brought into the prison system they created a new society, the prison society. Prisons have their own informal social organization, a society within itself that leads to changes in the lives of those who become imprisoned (Quinn, 1999). The community that exists inside prisons is one that is very dynamic. There is constant change with in the walls of a prison, old inmates on their way out while new inmates are on their way in (Clemmer). Once an individual steps through the prison's doors they must find a way to assimilate themselves into the existing society within the prison. Inside the prison there is a social system that leads to dramatic changes in each i!

ndividual (Quinn, 1999). Once an individual allows them self to have an identity within the prison society they begin the process of transforming from a self-sufficient individual into one that is dependent upon others for their existence (Clemmer).

dividuals lose the ability to connect with society and have problems feeling connected, in some cases the individual is unable to handle the adjustment, and is re-introduced to the prison community.

In addition to being deprived of basic freedoms inmates are also deprived of heterosexual relationships. In some cases this depravation leads to what is called situational homosexuality. This occurs when an individual who is attracted to members of the opposite sex outside of prison becomes sexually involved with members of the same sex inside the confines of the prison (Sykes, 1958). This does not mean that the individual is changing their sexual orientation, but is participating in the acts because they do not have the option of having a partner of the opposite sex. In most cases once the individual leaves the prison, this aspect of their stay is forgotten and they go back to the heterosexual relationships that they were involved in before they entered the prison.

http://wwwcj.mnstate.edu. Retrieved October 9, 2000.

Prison, like other societies has a culture that is unique to itself, and once a prisoner begins the prisonization process they begin to adapt to this culture. It is important for the inmates to learn the basic rules and customs of the existing prison community in order to survive. An example of this is learning the language that is spoken among the population. This is important so that the inmates can communicate clearly and effectively with one another (Clemmer). In order

Some common words found in the essay are:
, prison community, Retrieved October, quinn 1999, Notes October, sykes 1958, Pains Imprisonment, Corrections Sykes, outside prison, prison society, borgeson 2000, prison system, Online Available, prison system created, inside prison, opposite sex, basic freedoms,

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Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous