If we put a lot of very distressed people with poor boundaries together in an institution like a prison what kind of culture do we expect will prevail?
From our arguments in a previous Chapter on Systems Theory we would expect that the overall culture will be in keeping with the collective culture of all the individuals in the institution.
Looking at it from the traditional prison perspective, it is likely that there will be an upward causation (from the vulnerable individuals incarcerated) of anger, depression, irresponsibility, anxiety etc. – all that we’d expect, and a downward causation (from both management and external pressures) of security, rigidity, hierarchy, and similar traits – once again, elements that are familiar to us.
But looking beneath the typical culture of imprisonment, mostly known to us because of the media, perceptive observers will note an upward causation of genuineness, humanity, compassion, intelligence, and above all creativity. In more innovative and progressive prisons there may be enough forward thinking to permit a downward causation of the very same elements.
Just like any institution or community, prison can be one or the other. For the individual incarcerated, prison can be as much a place of sanctuary as a place of harshness. Indeed, the prison culture may contain some elements of the culture of the family in the Focus Group.
And since the culture of the families is heavily influenced by both the vulnerabilities and the strengths of the individuals that make it up, the culture of the prison will be so influenced [1].
Much literature that is written about prisons, both old and new [2], points out that prisons are communities with identifiable cultures containing many of the above elements.
And in my experience quite a lot of cultural matching goes on in prisons in respect of the values, norms etc. of families in our Focus Group. While the culture among staff can be rigid and hierarchical at times (and this is what is usually portrayed in media), staff also have opportunities to be compassionate, creative, caring, and empathic with those within, who are, as many officers put it, in their care.
Because of the power of cultural conditioning the nearer we are to a culture the more influential it is. (We noted this in the Chapter on Anthropology). Of course we might often want to be like someone that is culturally removed also, but I believe that that’s a head thing.
At an emotional level we almost always follow the values and norms of those closest to us over a long period of time.
And in this, as I state elsewhere, imprisonment is a common experience among our Focus Group – indeed prison is probably the one and only statutory agency with which families have a long term close relationship.
While it is probably not that common to view imprisonment as a great opportunity for someone, I argue that, given the right conditions, it can be just that. [3]
[1]. One might argue that this may apply to an institution like a hospital too. That is, because there are a lot of sick people kept together, why isn’t everyone getting sicker? But there is a big difference between a hospital and a prison (or indeed a psychiatric hospital). While people in hospital may be physically vulnerable the vast majority will, in all probability, be emotionally well enough. I believe that when we are emotionally vulnerable it is more difficult to discern what is good for us and what is bad, whereas being physically vulnerable does not necessarily cause us to lose that discernment.
[2]. One very interesting, courageous and insightful study was done in University of Limerick some years ago by (now retired) Governor Richie Roche of the Irish Prison Service, who kindly allowed me to use it. Self-care is a term that we might not jump out at us when we think of prison officers but Richie’s thesis posits the benefits of attending to it in the prison environment. If anyone wishes to read it please contact me.
[3]. I personally know many people who have changed their lives for the better because of a term of imprisonment – and attribute the change, in full or in part, to the positive influence of prison officers.