NCJ Number
105836
Date Published
1982
Length
330 pages
Annotation
This study of inmates at Minnesota's Stillwater Prison, a maximum security facility, examined the extent to which race, affiliation with an inmate cultural group, and perception of being a political prisoner impacted inmate 'prisonization' as defined by Clemmer (1940, 1958).
Abstract
Of the 1,032 inmates housed at the prison on June 4, 1979, 633 completed usable questionnaires. The prison staff completed their questionnaire in September 1979. A total of 100 randomly selected inmates were interviewed indepth, as were 35 randomly selected staff. Questionnaires and interviews solicited background information on staff and inmates and their views of appropriate inmate behaviors in various circumstances requiring value judgments. The analysis determined the extent to which the variables of race, inmate affiliation with prison cultural groups, and inmate perception of being a political prisoner affected the degree of inmate compliance with staff values. The study found that the longer the time served, the lower the degree of conformity to staff norms. Native American inmates were significantly lower on conformity to staff norms than black or white inmates. A two-way analysis of variance determined that length of time served was significant in prisonization, but race was not. Inmates who perceived themselves as political prisoners did so on the basis of race, class, or offense type rather than political belief. Inmates who viewed themselves as political prisoners were signifcantly more opposed to staff than those who did not so identify themselves. Inmate cultural group members were significantly less likely to conform to staff norms than nonmembers. Policy implications of these findings are discussed. 92 tables, study instruments, and 173-item bibliography.