NCJ Number
112710
Date Published
1986
Length
163 pages
Annotation
This ethnographic study examined the inmate culture among male adolescents at the Rikers Island Educational Facility within the larger New York detention center.
Abstract
A major focus was institutional influences exerted by the Department of Corrections (DOC) upon inmates' behaviors and beliefs. Data was gathered primarily through field interviews, participant observation, questionnaires, and analysis of student records. A major finding was that assignment to the right housing area was a critical event in the lives of inmates. In general, DOC sorts inmates on the basis of concerns for security and control, assigning the 'better quality' inmates to housing areas that are less restrictive. Yet, inmates in these housing areas are still brutalized and controlled by inmate leaders, indicating that the goals of DOC housing assignments are not achieved. While school personnel also are concerned with security, their major priority is facilitating learning, a mission not easily accomplished on the basis of the DOC method of sorting inmates. Finally, the inmates themselves preferred housing assignments, not on the basis of school participation, but on the basis of associations with other inmates who will guarantee status, safety, or protection. The questionnaire form and a glossary of inmate terminology is appended. 8 figures and 59 references.