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I've worked in a couple of correctional facilities over the past 13 years and I can tell you that the "Inmate Code" is rarely followed. I can't stand when these professors go into a prison and try to find out what the inmates know. As if being an inmates make you something more than a convicted criminal. Doing research isn't a bad thing, but research that seeks to legitimize a subcultures ways and norms such as those of confined criminals is bad. Or maybe the research isn't trying to legitimize anything, but the professor sure is taken in by the inmates. If anyone believes that most inmates abide by the "Inmate Code" then they are in for a rude awakening if they were to go and work in a correctional facility or prison. Sure some inmates do abide by a code somewhat, but they are few and far between. See, following a code means following rules and I don't know if anyone has noticed but convected criminals aren't the best at following rules. But I don't want to leave without providing some insight. Those inmates who follow a code of some sort and who also enforce a code on other inmates, are genially leaders within the inmate community. Whether he is a gang leader or just a leader, it is more about who that inmate is an individual person. Generally, those inmate leaders who are NOT gang leaders, are trying to create a safe environment for themselves and in doing so create a safer environment for all, including staff. They know the staff who can be trusted with information (yes, they snitch all the time) and avoid staff who are weak and not in control of their assigned area. I know every prison system is different and the few I worked at may not share the overall characteristics of prisons around the county, just like the prison the professor did research in may not share the overall characteristics of all prisons. Studying how people cope with incarceration regardless of what prison they are in my yield more information that can be used for the better safety of the kept, the keepers and public safety in general.
