Differences Between Men's

& Women's Prisons

In the United States, most prison inmates are male. For that reason,
there are more men's prisons than women's prisons and more services
geared toward male inmates.
Women's Prisons
• Have you heard of the TV show 'Orange Is the New Black'? It's a dark
comedy about life in a women's prison, but in reality, life for women
in prison isn't funny or entertaining.
• There are around 4,500 prisons in the United States, but only about
170 of those are women's prisons.
• Prisons are correctional facilities used for long-term confinement and
usually run by the state. People are sent to serve time in prison after
they've been convicted of a crime and given a sentence. Women
serve their sentences in prisons designed specifically for women, and
men serve their sentences in prisons designed for men.
• There's little resemblance between men's prisons and women's
prisons.
- The main difference between men's and women's prisons is security
level. A prison security level dictates the type and number of safety
measures used to keep the public protected from the inmates and the
inmates protected from one another.
- For example, very few women's prisons have tall stone walls, armed
guard towers or razor wire barriers. Women's prisons tend to
resemble men's minimum or medium security prisons.
- They often look like a college campus or a camp, with inmates housed
in dormitories or cottages rather than cellblocks.
- Women's prisons are typically less violent than men's prisons. There
are fewer violent incidences between inmates and also between
inmates and their prison guards.
- For this reason, female inmates tend to have more freedom. They
can usually walk around the prison in order to attend classes or
programs, eat in the dining hall, receive visitors, exercise or attend
chapel services.
Women Inmates
• One reason women's prisons are less violent is because there
are simply fewer violent offenders.
- Female inmates are much more likely to be serving time for
drug or property offenses than their male counterparts.
- One study found that as many as 60% of female inmates
have a substance abuse problem, while almost 75% have
mental health issues. The same study showed that the
women's crimes were most often a direct result of these
problems.
• Male inmates, on the other hand, are more likely to be serving time
for violent crimes than their female counterparts.
- A violent crime is a crime in which the offender uses or threatens to
use force against the victim. Violent crimes include murder,
manslaughter, rape, robbery and assault.
• There are also many more men than women serving time due to
recidivism, which means repeated criminal behavior.
- For this reason, there are more male inmates serving their second
prison sentence, or even more.
• Overall, the vast majority of U.S. prison inmates are male, though the
number of female inmates is growing.
- One study showed that the number of female prison inmates has
increased by more than 600% since 1980.
- According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there were nearly 1.5 million
men in U.S. state and federal prisons in 2011. During the same time, there
were around 111,000 women.
• In both men's and women's prisons, the inmates are mostly racial or
ethnic minorities and younger than 40.
- Specifically examining the characteristics of the female prison population,
studies found that the majority had experienced physical or sexual abuse.
- Most are poor, unskilled and undereducated. Many are single mothers.
Women's Prison Services
• Because most women in prison are single mothers one might think
that classes and rehabilitative programs would be a priority in
women's prisons.
- Because most women serve time for drug offenses rather than violent
crimes, they tend to serve shorter prison sentences. Rehabilitation
efforts would be reasonable, considering the women will be returning
to their families and communities.
- However, most studies show that rehabilitation classes and programs
are lacking in women's prisons.
• Programs might be lacking because women serve shorter sentences.
This means there's a high turnover rate in the women's prison
population.
- Prison administrators and government officials may feel that
rehabilitation programs aren't a proper investment for short-term
inmates.
- Some professionals cite a lack of funding or inadequate training as
reasons why there are fewer rehabilitative prison programs available
to female inmates than those available to males.
• However, female inmates might need the programs the most. Besides
higher rates of substance abuse, women inmates show higher rates of
depression.
- Female inmates are also more likely to harm themselves than men.
This includes attempting suicide.
- Also noteworthy, approximately 60% have chronic or communicable
diseases, such as hepatitis or HIV.
• Women also present a unique challenge when it comes to
motherhood.
- Statistics show that one in every 25 female inmates is pregnant when
admitted to state prison.
- Most babies born in prison are immediately separated from their
mothers, though some prisons allow the baby to stay with the mother
up to 18 months.
• Experts are careful to point out that women are more likely
to participate in prison classes and programs and are even
more likely to gain rehabilitative benefits from participation.
- However, men's prison programs are more developed and
available.
- For example, one state allows male inmates to use video
equipment to record messages for their families.
- The same state only provides audiotapes to female inmates
in order to record bedtime stories for their children.
Women's Prison Culture
* The difference in prison culture. Prison culture refers to the customs,
beliefs, lifestyles, social interactions and values of prison inmates.
• In men's prisons, a prison code is a large part of the culture. The
prison code is a set of norms for the behavior of inmates and is based
on loyalty.
- According to the prison code, prisoners are loyal to one another and
share a distrust of prison officials and prison rules.
- The men build alliances through groups or gangs and honor a
hierarchical system based on strength and power.
• The prison culture in women's prisons promotes relationships more
than the men's culture.
- As a result, the women often form pseudofamilies. A pseudofamily is
a unit of inmates, formed in a family structure, in order to provide
emotional support, economic support or protection.
- The pseudofamilies can include up to 20 inmates and consist of
inmates playing the roles of mother, father, sister, brother,
grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.
- Many experts believe pseudofamilies are a type of coping mechanism
for the female inmates.
Prison Subcultures
• Prison inmates often develop prison subcultures consisting of a
shared system of customs and beliefs.
• Have you seen 'The Shawshank Redemption'? This popular 1990s
movie depicts life inside a state prison. For two of the characters - Red
and Brooks - life outside prison proves difficult. After decades in
prison, the characters simply can't adapt to life in the free society.
Why is this?
• As the movie portrays, prisons are a form of total institution.
- A total institution is an enclosed area where residents share all parts of
their daily lives. Inmates sleep, eat, work and relax together. Generally
speaking, there are no parts of daily life undertaken separately, or
privately, from the rest of the prison population.
• Total institutions often operate like small societies. The residents form
their own customs, beliefs, value systems and lifestyles.
- In a prison, this is known as the prison subculture. The prison
subculture describes the customs, beliefs, attitudes, values and
lifestyles of the prison inmates within a particular prison. Studies show
that prison subcultures are remarkably consistent among U.S. prisons.
• It's important to note that prison staff members have their own
subculture and socialization process.
- The staff subculture is mostly influenced by custody and control. The
staff adopts customs and attitudes in order to assert themselves in a
dominant role, present a unified stance and defend against potential
inmate threats.
Prisonization
• Because the prison subculture is unique to prisons, new inmates must
adapt to a new way of life.
- This is known as prisonization. Prisonization is the process through
which new inmates learn the prison subculture.
• For many prisoners, the prisonization process involves
learning the statuses and roles of the various inmates.
- The subculture is influenced by the formal organization used
in prisons by the prison staff.
- It's also heavily influenced by the informal organization
through which the inmates categorize themselves.
- Status and hierarchy play an important part in prison
subculture.
Prison Code
• For new inmates, prisonization involves learning the prison code. The
prison code is the set of norms, or the expected behavior, of the inmates.
- Think of it as an unofficial rulebook for inmates. The rules are similar
throughout prisons in the U.S.
• Prison code is based on loyalty to other inmates and distrust of prison
staff. It mimics a reverse hierarchy to that used in American society
outside prison walls.
- For example, most law-abiding citizens consider those inmates convicted
of murdering a police officer to be some of the worst offenders. However,
within the prison code, these so-called 'cop-killers' are some of the most
powerful and admired inmates.
• One well-known prison study identified five central elements of the
prison code. The elements are:

• Don't interfere with other inmates or tell on other inmates.

• Mind your own business.
• Don't whine or complain.
• Don't exploit other inmates, and always keep your word.
• Don't trust prison guards or staff.
Prison Argot
• For many prisoners, prisonization even involves
learning a new language, or argot.
- Argot is the jargon, terminology or slang used by a
particular group of people. Like other facets of prison
subculture, inmate argot is similar throughout U.S.
prisons.
- For this reason, terms learned in one prison are
usually used and understood in other prisons.
• Some examples of prison argot include:
• A fish is a new inmate
• A cellie is a cell mate
• An ace dude is a best friend
• A homeboy is an inmate from one's hometown
• Pruno is a homemade alcoholic beverage
• Brake fluid is a prescription medication, such as a sedative, given by
prison staff to inmates
• A billy is a white inmate
• A chester is an inmate convicted of child molestation
Deprivation Model
• Now that you know a little bit about prison subculture, let's take a
look at why it exists.
- Some popular studies show that prison subculture develops through
the deprivation model. This model holds that prison subculture
results from the pains of imprisonment.
- In other words, the new culture develops as a way to adapt to 'living
without.' Inmates face deprivation and lack of many things. The
deprivations include liberty, privacy, personal security, autonomy,
basic goods, everyday services and close relationships with friends
and family. Inmates adapt to these deprivations by forming a new
culture that isn't focused on these things.
• There are also other models and theories regarding the development
of prison subculture.
• The importation model holds that prison subculture is brought into
the prison from the outside world. In other words, the inmates bring
certain beliefs, values, roles and behaviors with them when they enter
prison.
- Many of the elements of prison subculture can be found in society
outside of prison walls. This is especially true in neighborhoods,
families or groups familiar with or involved in criminal activity.
- For example, street gangs also value a reverse hierarchy system.
• The integration model holds that prison subculture develops
using both the deprivation and importation theories.
- Recent studies show this model to be the most popular at
this time. Under the integration model, researchers believe
that prison environment plays a large role in the prison
subculture.
- However, researchers believe that prison subculture is also
heavily influenced by the characteristics inmates import from
their lives outside the prison.