Goffman's Theory Of Incarceration

Devolution of the Incarcerated
Prison was once thought to be an effective deterrent for crime. The premise was simple, if a person did not comply with the law, they will be fined and thrown in jail for a long period of time. During that time the prisoner is incarcerated, they are greeted with substandard living conditions, strict rules and regulations limiting their rights, and other criminals that have done the same crime or worse. This at a time was thought to be the formula for rehabilitation. Fast forward to today, and the same formula is still applied, however, the subject of recidivism – the act of reoffending or repeating an undesirable behaviour – has now become a topic. Criminals are usually the first to blame mainly because the public
Goffman’s theory states that stigma is “the phenomenon whereby an individual with an attribute which is deeply discredited by his/her society is rejected as a result of the attribute. Stigma is a process by which the reaction of others spoils normal identity”. Every criminal entering the institution has obtained a stigma once they are written into the system and the institution itself reinforces that stigma time and time again. Which is proven through actions that the jail has taken, such as enforcing, “ the anonymity of a uniform and a number rather than a name, the shaven head, the insistence of on gestures of respect and subordination when addressing officials and so on” (Sykes, 2006, p. 165). These actions are the exact opposite to what society imposes. This proves that once incarcerated a criminal does not only give up their rights but their individuality as well. Thus, creating an environment meant to drain, demoralize and destroy a criminal from the inside
In order for inmates to survive jail they need to be mentally and physically tough. As a result of the environment and the routine that jails possesses, their physical and mental toughness are tested every day. Jewkes (2005) points out that, “for most inmates, peer group respect, individual status, and ability to access scarce resources all rests on a reputation for aggressiveness and in physical strength” (p. 46). This is an institution filled with the most dangerous criminals in the area, so it is plausible to say that the inmates commit their crimes based on necessity as well as status. That mentality carries over into the prisons and creates conflict within the prisons. By cause of their need for hierarchy and thus the only way to prove who is on top is based on their aggressiveness and