NCJ Number
94138
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 23 Issue: 4 Dated: (October 1981) Pages: 439-450
Date Published
1981
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This paper analyzes the differential treatment of two types of prison hostages -- guards and undesirables. Convicts possess greater hostility toward inmate undesirables than toward prison guards.
Abstract
When prison guards sustain injuries in a prison riot, it is usually in the first few minutes, during capture, and the injuries tend to be minor. Inmates see the guards as men who are only doing their jobs, and therefore find it difficult to rationalize their murder. Many guards help prisoners and thereby gain their trust, respect, and friendship. Inmates who feel indebted to or befriended by guards will often make it a priority to assure their safety in a takover. Sometimes guards play on this possibility during the course of daily duty, ignoring minor infractions in return for compliance with more important rules in order to build a store of good will. Inmates will sometimes protect gurards out of fear of reprisals and restrictions that will follow a takeover. The Parole Act of Canada and similar legislation in some American States provide for special consideration for parole whenever inmates have performed meritorious service to the prison administration during an institutional riot. Inmates realize that by harming or killing a guard they are provoking the prison officials into taking action in an attempt at rescuing the remaining hostages. None of these deterrents are in effect for the universally despised undesirables, who often suffer injury or death in a riot. Inmates despise informers because they break the inmate code by choosing the opposite side in an adversarial relationship. Child molesters are undesirable because their crimes imply a greatly despised cowardice and lack of masculinity. It is hard to overemphasize the hatred these criminals elicit. Even female child molesters suffer in their prison situations. Some prisoners may want to protect undesirables for humanitarian reasons, but they are often prevented from doing so. There is an absence of repercussions and rewards because the prison officials do not value undesirables as much as they do the guards. Twenty-two references are included.