Influences On Goffman's Perception Of Prison Culture

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In order to truly understand prison culture and its affects, Goffman described it as a institution. Goffman described prison as '' a place of residence and work where a large number of like-situated individuals, cut off from the wider society for an appreciable period of time, together lead an enclosed formally administered round of life''. This can be in relation of controlling a social organization within the prison walls. Initially when people first enter prison, these individuals find it difficult to adopt to prison culture. Inmates who embrace prison culture tend to have longer sentences, unbalanced personality and tend to have fragile relationships with people outside prison walls. Inmates who tend to resist prison culture usually have shorter sentences, secure personalities and healthy relationships with people outside…show more content…
This model suggests that the difficulties of stress are caused by depriving conditions within prison walls, this ultimately leads to inmates adjusting to prison culture mechanisms. Sykes's theories on deprivation statements are not far off when it comes to prison culture. Initially inmates will feel pain when entering and adjusting to their new home. This is caused from the loss of libery and the lack of security, goods and services, and the option of relationships. Inmates are depicted as children in the film, being told when to eat, when they can use the bathroom, when they can work, and even when they sleep. There are rats in the facilities due to the poor environments and inmates suffer a high risk of illness due to the close encounters with other inmates. At the beginning of the film, one of the new inmates ask the Captain when they can eat. Captain Hadley responded '' you eat when we say you eat. You shit when we say you shit. You piss when we say you piss''. As depicted Red had trouble applying this to the real world when he was released on

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