Social Hierarchy in Prisons Essay

Social Hierarchy in Prisons

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Abstract
Prison is a place many dread. Even the most hardcore of criminals would do anything to have a life behind the walls of a prison cell. While within prison gates, prisoners undergo numerous experiences that can only be described as humane. As if that is not enough prisoners are always looked down upon by others; even treated as second-class citizens after serving their sentences and reintegrating into the community. Thieves, drug abusers, rapists and others are treated with contempt in the same way notwithstanding the reason the person went to prison in the first place. They all undergo the same treatment by members of the society outside prison walls. There is always a notion that prison creates an atmosphere of uniformity and a stern routine is part of punishment for the variety of offenders it harbors. However, contrary to this implication, there is a whole web of secret social relationships behind prison walls. Prison officials, wardens and even the prisoners themselves admit that the network of relationship has existed for years and were supposedly developed by prominent prisoners and prison groups. The networks were catapulted into prominence and influenced by the social values at the time.

Inside a prison, there are plenty of unspoken rules and every prisoner is made aware of these within the first days of incarceration. One of these rules is that not all the inmates are equal; hierarchy therefore begins from here because of the superiors and subordinates. While those on the outside look at inmates in uniforms and imagine that the uniformity starts from the uniforms they wear; they are dead wrong. So where does the status come from? The most obvious answer would probably be the length of time one spends in prison. Even then, it will be hard for people to grasp that a crime one commits and that eventually sends one to prison can actually give one a rank in the prison hierarchy. More or less, this is actually, what earns prisoners their social status. This hierarchy is not followed in case of wealthy or influential individuals. They too have their place within the walls. Nevertheless, this may not always be true. The labeling is inevitable and the rules and practices are made and practiced by the prisoners themselves (Sabo, Kupers & London, 2001).

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So who ranks top and who ranks bottom? Murder is the vilest crime that can send one to prison today. Murderers are the only people who have experienced the feeling of having killed a man. More often than not, they rank top of the prison hierarchy chain. As ironical as it may sound, one of the vilest crimes society knows on the outside is in fact the most celebrated in prison. The glamour and rarity of this crime brings certain awe and status to the convicted murderer. They are feared because other prisoners believe murderers have a cruel and inhumane character, which could be revealed especially whenever angered. This gives them the highest status in prison. They are the same people who pride in possessing weapons in the prisons, even though such weapons are not allowed within the walls. They hide their spoons and sharpen them to be used as knives whenever offended. This only makes the situation worse for other petty offenders who are not war-like. With such weapons, they have the potential to add on to the tally of their victims by killing their fellow inmates, for example sexual predators. This is a group of inmates that prey on others for sexual favors. If the murderers are ‘mistakenly’ approached by these predators, they run the risk of meeting their death. To the murderer this not only furthers his tally but also increases respect and reverence among other prisoners. The threat of homosexual rape is the most commonly employed form of intimidation by sex predators. The fact that this vice was well known to everyone and discussed both inside the prison and outside only serves to worsen the already negative perception that those outside prison walls have on the prisoners. This makes them be viewed more animalistic and less human when they finally get released. This is irrespective of whether they indulged into it willingly or were just victims of sexual molestation. So to feel safer, petty offenders in jail would always want to side with the murderers. This inevitably leads to the formation of prison gangs. Experienced bank robbers also rank in this very high category. They are respected because they are able to carry out highly organized crime and still run things from inside the prison. They are an intelligent lot and that makes them command even more respect. They are also wise enough to form gangs as this is a sure way of surviving in prison.