Men, Merchants, and Toughs: A Study of Reactions to Imprisonment

An attempt to throw some light on (a) the prevalence of exploitative roles in the inmate soc system of a prison (roles which involve force, fraud, & chicanery in inmate relationships); (b) the ring between exploitation & allegiance to the inmate pop; & (c) the status of individuals playing exploitative roles in the inmate soc system. The data are based on a random sample of 115 adult M criminals confined in a maximum security prison. Information about the behavior of the inmate while in prison was secured from his official record, the files of the disciplinary court, & questionnaires administered to the guard of the inmate's cellblock & the shop officer of the prisoner's work detail. Analyzed are (1) patterns of exploitation, (2) patterns of adjustment, & (3) patterns of loyalty to the inmate soc system. 4 patterns of adjustment to any situation which involves frustration are found in this study of the reactions of men to imprisonment: the active, aggressive use of other people as a means, both by the manipulation of verbal symbols & by violence; the use of one or the other of these methods of exploitation but not both; & the more passive, withdrawn, & conforming mode. The maximum security prison, however, is unique in the extent of the frustrations imposed, the enforced intimacy of the frustrated, & the prior training in deviance possessed by the inmates. The result seems to be a soc group marked by a high degree of internal exploitation where fellow sufferers are scorned as powerless victims even more than the custodians are despised as symbols of oppression. Far from being a prison `community', men in prison tend to react as individuals & refuse to suspend their intra-mural conflict when confronting the enemy, the prison officials. Those who dominate others are viewed with a mingled fear, hatred & envy; & the few who manage to retreat into solidarity may well be penalized in the struggle to evade the poverty stricken existence prescribed by the institution. The problem of changing the custodial institution into a therapeutic community is discussed. Attempts at reducing the number of `merchants' & `toughs' by lessening the frustrations have often failed because the patterns of exploitation have reappeared at a higher or more complex level; increases in freedom of movement, inmate responsibility, & material possessions have set the stage for more bitter struggles with higher stakes. An alternative solution, namely strict control by prison officials, may o