Deck 9: Prison Subculture and Prison Gang Influence

Question 1

What is the largest basis for gang affiliation within prison?

A) Hometown
B) Racial allegiance
C) Offenses for which the inmates are convicted
D) Religious affiliation

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Women have had a long history of conducting prison work. Which is not historically a typical position for women?

A) Clerical positions
B) Teaching roles
C) Direct supervision of male offenders
D) Direct supervision of female offenders

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The process of being socialized into the prison culture is known as:

A) blood in-blood out.
B) convict code.
C) prisonization.
D) symbiotic prison relationships.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Inmates' adaptation to prison subculture is largely due to their:

A) level of participation in the inmate economy.
B) offense type for which they were convicted.
C) frequency of visitations from friends and family.
D) record of institutional misconduct.

Question 5

Which is the first known major prison gang to develop in the United States?

A) Crips
B) Aryan Brotherhood
C) Black Guerrilla Family
D) The Mexican Mafia

Question 6

The term __________ refers to any action that is designed to deceive, manipulate, or take advantage of another person.

A) snitch
B) mule
C) hog
D) hustle

Question 7

Define the term respect as it is relevant to prison culture.

A) A set of standards attributed to the true convict.
B) An inmate's sense of masculine standing within the prison culture.
C) A label given to an inmate who reveals the activity of another inmate to authorities.
D) The various inconveniences and deprivations that occur as a result of incarceration.

Question 8

Which of the following is prison slang for psychotropic medications?

A) Insect repellent
B) Bug juice
C) Bug zapper
D) Pest control

Question 9

Define the convict code.

A) A label given to an inmate who reveals the activity of another inmate to authorities.
B) An inmate's sense of masculine standing within the prison culture.
C) A set of standards attributed to the true convict.
D) The process of being socialized into the prison culture.

Question 10

Which of the following categories is not identified by Sykes (1958) as a particular challenge to those who serve time in correctional facilities?

A) The loss of liberty
B) The loss of autonomy
C) The loss of personal security
D) The loss of freedom of speech

Question 11

Which prison gang predominantly consists of White inmate members?

A) Bloods
B) The Nazi Low Riders
C) Ñetas
D) The Texas Syndicate

Question 12

What type of offenders are at highest risk for being forced into being a prison "punk"?

A) Drug offenders
B) Sexual offenders
C) Murderers
D) Property offenders

Question 13

What is the key tenet of importation theory?

A) Refers to the standards in behavior attributed to inmates who earn respect by proving themselves worthy of that title.
B) Refers to the various inconveniences and deprivations that occur as a result of incarceration.
C) Refers to assertion that certain social group reactions serve to make certain behaviors deviant, regardless of the individual context in which they occur.
D) Refers to the idea that the subculture within prisons is brought in from outside the walls by offenders who have developed their beliefs and norms while on the streets.

Question 14

The term that refers to the various inconveniences and deprivations that occur as a result of incarceration is _____________.

A) pains of imprisonment
B) importation theory
C) blood in-blood out
D) prisonization

Question 15

The majority racial lineages represented among prison gangs are:

A) Whites and African Americans.
B) American Indians and Whites.
C) African American and Latinos.
D) Latinos and American Indians.

Question 16

Because correctional staff interacts with inmates on a daily basis, a sense of understanding develops among correctional staff but not between the staff and the inmate population.

Question 17

__________ is a term that is used to imply that a person is using others for some type of gain or benefit, manipulating others into doing work, or fulfilling obligations on their own behalf.

A) Snitching
B) Hogging
C) Hustling
D) Punking

Question 18

Which tenet of the prison guard subculture is the foundation for cohesion among custodial staff?

A) Always go to the aid of an officer in distress.
B) Do not traffic drugs.
C) Do not be a snitch.
D) Never disrespect another officer in front of inmates.

Question 19

Among all inmates, it is the __________ who is considered the lowest of the low among other inmates.

A) child molester
B) snitch
C) rapist
D) murderer

Question 20

A __________ is a person who smuggles drugs into prison for another inmate.

A) cow
B) horse
C) donkey
D) mule

Question 21

Prior to the 1980s, snitches were rare and were afforded no respect.

Question 22

The majority of the transgendered population within the custodial environment is female-to-male.

Question 23

Inmates are considered superior to those labeled "convicts."

Question 24

Describe Kauffman's (1988) prison guard subculture and its main tenets.

Question 25

A prison gang is considered a security threat group when it meets certain criteria. Identify these criteria.

Question 26

A symbiotic prison relationship between inmates and correctional staff is unacceptable within the bounds of institutional security.

Question 27

The practice known as "blood in-blood out" where adolescent boys allow their pants to sag-exposing their underwear-originates from jail and prison policies denying inmates the use of belts.

Question 28

There are many psychological aspects of controlling gang activity.

Question 29

The issues that confront women who work in corrections tend to be distinct from the issues that confront men who work in corrections.

Question 30

Most correctional officers and most inmates know the background of other inmates.

Question 31

Identify the three characteristics that are common to prison gangs but not necessarily common to those gangs based primarily on the street.