Negative Social Influences Cultivate Cynicism in Prison

 One of the major criticisms of prisons has been that they are often criminal "universities." Some low level offenders come to prison where they are socialized into criminal mindsets and behaviors. They literally leave prison with criminal minds much worse than when they entered. 

This criticism is real. I've seen prisoners who have very little creativity (even criminal creativity) socialized into criminal thinking and conduct by other, more experienced prisoners. I've seen naive prisoners used and taken advantage of by other prisoners, hardening into a deeper criminal pathology out of a need to protect themselves. They learn to use or be used, steal or be stolen from, be violent or experience violence. 

But prisoners are not the only ones negatively socialized in prison settings. I have personally heard experienced officers training new officers to treat prisoners "like garbage." I've heard new officers being told that we prisoners are just a bunch of animals who cannot control ourselves, so we should be treated like animals. I've seen new officers come in with hopes of making a difference, with plans to treat prisoners with dignity, with visions of being a positive influence on the outcasts of society. But like everything else, the prison system has a tendency to scatter visions, to spoil plans, and to replace hope with hopelessness.

The sad reality is that prisoners are not the only ones who are corrupted by negative social influences in prison. There exists within America's correction system, especially at certain prisons, a deeply cynical ethos where officers are above reproach and prisoners are not worthy of basic human dignities. Any efforts prisoners make to better themselves, to change that broken image of prisoners is met with fierce resistance. How dare prisoners deem themselves worthy of something better than their past poor choices! 

This officer cynicism is often shared by administration as well. Administrators like to talk about rehabilitation, about lowered recidivism rates, about "excellence" in corrections, but here in the trenches where the public eye cannot pry, it's a different story. Status quo is the name of the game. Don't rock the boat. Don't do anything that attracts attention. Do the bare minimum, but make the paperwork look good. This culture of mediocrity is endemic in corrections. 

Prisoners who deem themselves worthy of something better with their lives are often eager to DO something. They want to invest in their futures and better their chances of success. They want to give back to those they've harmed, to make amends. They want to change their character so they are no longer thinking criminally, instead thinking about how they can better their communities. But these desired changes don't fit the cynical image of who prisoners are supposed to be. Consequently, prisoners who make such efforts to change are villified, mocked, blocked at every turn, and those on the outside who try to help a prisoner's transformation are demonized for trying.

Yes, some prisoners receive a master's level education in criminal behavior in prison, but prisoners are not the only ones schooled by negative social influences. The corrections system encourages negative social influences among staff in order to preserve its cynical mindset. Consequently, it produces exactly what it intends to: a high failure rate, driven in part by their own failure to see prisoners as people worthy and capable of changing.