Subcultures In Prison Case Study

1. Some of the major types of prison subcultures certain types of prisoners such as; The mean dude, who is frequently written up and spends much time in solitary confinement due to exemplifying overly tough and psychopathic type behavior in the prison. The hedonist, which build their lives around the limited pleasures available within the confines of prison, such as smuggling contraband, homosexuality, gambling, drug running, and other officially condemned activities that provide the center of interest for them. The retreatist, whose life is rigorous and demanding due to not wanting to associate or involve themselves in any of the prison life, which eventually leads to depression and mental illness in prison. The legalist, who often face long …show more content…
Some of the major cases that have impacted the prison system involve; Block v. Rutherford, which stated that state regulations may prohibit meetings of inmate unions as well as the use of the mail to deliver union information within the prison as well as striping prisoners right to be present during cell searches. Bounds v. Smith, which resulted in the created of law libraries in many prisons. Wolf v. McDonnell, which stated that sanctions cannot be levied against inmates without appropriate due process. Washington v. Harper, which stated that a mentally ill inmate who is danger to self or others may be forcibly treated with psychoactive drugs. Florence v. Burlington County, which stated that officials may strip search those arrested for any offense, including minor ones, before admitting them to jail. Ponte v. Real, which stated that inmates are entitled to certain rights in disciplinary hearings. Porter v. Nussle, which stated that the Prison Litigation Reform Act of 1995 “exhaustion requirement” applies to all inmate suits about prison life, whether they involve general circumstances or particular episodes and whether they allege excessive force or some other wrong. Brown v. Plata, which stated that overcrowded conditions in California’s prisons were so egregious that the state was unable to deliver minimal care to prisoners with serious medical and mental health problems, requiring a forced reduction in prison populations. There are many more covered in the Criminal Justice Today textbook, on pages 478-479, however I found these to be of major importance. I would argue that all of these cases were essential for both the improvement of handling the process of prisons and prison life, as well as setting precedent for future prisoners’ rights as well as the way that prisoners are dealt with in