Social hierarchy in prisons denotes possession of social status within the prison facility. Murderers are ranked first which makes them the most feared among fellow inmates and police officers hence special privileges are accorded to them. Drug dealers, robbers, abusers follow in that order while rapists are ranked at the bottom of the hierarchy (Brown, 2018). These social hierarchies are important as they offer social support thus improving their physical and emotional well-being of inmates. Therefore, social hierarchy in prison compares and contrasts to hierarchies that exist in the free world in leadership, governance and socialization patterns.
Leadership within prisons is governed by forces such as individualism, lack of consensus or the availability of individual groups who then assume leadership roles and govern how things will be done. Additionally, as murderers are highly ranked, they tend to determine how tasks are carried out in the prisons since they are most feared by everyone. This is due to their capacity to do anything therefore, whenever they give out rules’ other inmates follow without question (Caldwell, 1956). These individuals may also initiate others into immoral behavior as they have the capacity to do that. Leadership prevalent in prisons is however different from the free community, as those that assume positions of leadership are people of integrity who instill morals into their followers. Additionally, leaders in a free world are governed by a proper code of conduct which dictates good and bad contrary to prison leadership.
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Within the prison facilities, all inmates regardless of their hierarchy are socialized into the culture of prisoners. As such they have to learn different cultures and behaviors to help them adapt into the new environment. They have to get new friends and affiliates as they are far from their families and associates. This choice is influenced by an individual’s character, their placement and their previous relationships (Caldwell, 1956). Therefore, prisoners from higher levels in society are likely to look for those that ranked higher before becoming inmates. Similarly, in a free community people are free to choose their friends and close associations without hindrances. They may choose from any gender, culture or tribe as long as they fit in their preferences. Additionally, individuals tend to associate with those who belong to the similar social classes as their lifestyles closely match with each other.
Social hierarchies in prisons are governed by a code of conduct and culture that regulates their behavior. This culture is transmitted from one generation to another and it incorporates customs, habits, attitude and patterns of behavior towards the prison system. This culture also regulates interactions between prisoners and inmates with an aim of drawing clear lines of distinction. Accordingly, key information about prisoners should not be shared with the administration but they should offer help to each other to enhance their unity and strength (Caldwell, 1956). Therefore, the culture prevalent in prisons promotes collaboration and loyalty among inmates and the officials thus improving efficiency of operations. This is similar to the free world where code of conduct that governs the society is put in place to enhance collaboration and peace among all the citizens. It also aims at promoting unity between the government and its citizens to facilitate growth in the country.
Social hierarchies are prevalent in prisons and they differ in terms of the complexity of the crime committed. Within the prison set up, the social hierarchy in prisons comprises of convicts who are murderers at the top, drug dealers, robbers, abusers and rapists at the bottom of the hierarchy. These hierarchies compare and contrast to those in the free world. The differences and similarities are evident in leadership, socialization patterns, freedom and in governance.
References
Caldwell, M. (1956). Group dynamics in the prison community. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 46(5), 1-11.
Brown, N. (2018). Prison social hierarchy. Retrieved from: https://www.hierarchystructure.com/prison-social-hierarchy/
