Shanequa Ricketts
John Jay College
CRJ 425
Prof. Cheloukhine
Summer 2015
Abstract
Prisonization is a concept first introduced in 1940 by Clemmer. He defined it as the process of assimilation in prisons, where new inmates take on a less or greater degree of the customs, folkways, and the general culture in a penitentiary. Prisonization can be described in similar terms to those used by sociologists in capturing the processes of assimilation and socialization of communities at large. In the same manner people are assimilated to the customs and norms of a society, inmates must also assimilate themselves into the self-contained community they find in prison. They need to re-adjust from their normal lives and learn the new norms and rules, as well as the implied expected patterns of behavior since they are discordant from the societal values of a free world. Also referred to as the “inmate code”, this is the kind of behavior that is considered to be unacceptable in the free world but is encouraged, and rewarded within the prison walls.
In the United States of America, the jail culture has been referred to as out of control and unruly in most cases. There have been instances of gang control of prison activities through member inmates. There are also patterns of assimilation in the jails, especially bearing in mind that most of the people incarcerated are from different cultures most and countries. In essence, the
Donald Clemmer Prisonization Definition
Twenty years ago the sociologist Donald Clemmer introduced the concept of prisonization to account for the changes inmates undergo during periods of confinement. This paper re-examines the concept of prisonization and provides an empirical test of the processes Clemmer described. Donald Clemmer Biography; Prisonization Prison Experience; Prisonization as the inculcation of a convict culture was defined by identification with primary groups in prison, the use of prison slang and argot, the adoption of specified rituals and a hostility to prison authority in contrast to inmate solidarity and was asserted by Clemmer to. The concept of prisonization was identified by Donald Clemmer in his book The Prison Community. Asked Aug 20, 2019 in Criminal Justice by Rebecca Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F). The concept of prisonization was identified by Donald Clemmer in his book The Prison Community. Asked Aug 15, 2019 in Sociology by Rebellion Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F).