NCJ Number
111858
Journal
Deviant Behavior Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Dated: (April-June 1988) Pages: 155-167
Date Published
1988
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The norm against snitching is emphasized in criminal groups. However, before punishing the culprits, they need to be identified. This article describes how Swedish inmates in a prison situation try to find out who the snitches are and whether they have informed outside or inside prison.
Abstract
This includes a process of searching for information, such as discerning which inmates receive otherwise unearned privileges or who talk to guards or have motives for informing. The information is often obtained in personal communication but since this source is not always seen as trustworthy, proof is searched for in the suspect's police and court records and other 'papers.' Furthermore, it is argued that when a definition is finally made it has to be viewed as a social construction since most inmates, while pointing to one or a few specific inmates as snitches, still believe that most inmates have informed at some point. In agreement with Shibutani's theory of rumors, this construction is made through a process of accepting and rejecting pieces of information until a final consensus in the group has been reached. (Publisher abstract)