Cooptation of the kept, maintaining control in a southern penitentiary.
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| Other Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1983.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Link to ProQuest Copy Link to OAKTrust copy |
| Abstract: | Traditionally, social control in prison has been described as the result of a single cause such as formal rules, inmate elites, or the informal compromises made between the guards and inmates. This case study, of one prison in the Texas Department of Corrections, examines social control in prison as the combination of the various means (formal and informal) employed by the staff and inmates. Findings (based on participant observation) show that formally, the staff enforced the prison order through periodic searches, counts, and other means of inmate-surveillance. The staff also controlled the inmates through formal rules and inmate rule violators were punished quickly and severely in an attempt to deter the other inmates. In addition, the staff controlled the inmates with a complex system of privileges to reinforce positive behavior. In contrast, the staff used such informal measures as beatings and humiliation tactics to informally control the inmates. Findings also reveal that the staff coopted the dominant inmates with special privileges to control the ordinary inmates in the living areas. The dominant inmates, called Building Tenders and Turnkeys, formally provided the staff with information about ordinary inmate misbehavior, protected officers, and broke up fights between inmates. Informally, these inmate elites maintained control in the cell blocks through diplomacy, intimidation, and physical coercion. This study also examines how social control in prison has been altered by inmate civil suits and Federal Court ordered reforms. That is, the traditional forms of control (e.g., staff use of force and the Building Tender system) are no longer viable and these rulings have brought about serious changes within the inmate social system and staff organization. In light of general findings, the report concludes that control in prison will become increasingly more difficult to maintain due to constant litigation and will increase the chances for violence, especially between officers and inmates. |
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| Item Description: | "Major subject: Sociology." Typescript (photocopy). Vita. |
| Physical Description: | xi, 277 leaves : illustrations ; 29 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 258-269). |