Deprivation

Overview

Proponents of the deprivation model argue that upon entering prison, individuals inevitably assimilate into a subculture, undergoing a process known as prisonization. Through these adaptation mechanisms, prison culture is formed in opposition to the prison administration and officers, whom inmates view as responsible for the prison rules that restrict their choices. According to Sykes (1958), there are five key deprivations that result from institutional regulations: the deprivation of liberty, goods and services, heterosexual relations, autonomy, and lack of personal security.

Deprivations

The deprivation of liberty is the most fundamental aspect of confinement. It refers not only to the ways [Page 224]in which prisoners have their freedoms curtailed but also to the conditions of their confinement. Prisoners are restricted to the boundaries of the institution, and their movement is further restricted within the institution by a system of passes and physical barriers. For significant portions of the day, they may also be locked in a cell or dormitory. Such loss of liberty has deep psychological impact on most people as they are cut off from their family and friends. Their links to the community and their support usually weaken over time serving as a constant reminder of this deprivation and deepening their level of distress.

While incarcerated, inmates are unable to control the quality, quantity, or nature of goods and services they receive. Although they usually receive adequate food, medical care, and housing, they have little choice in how basic services are delivered. As a result, most inmates become bored. They also are often frustrated or dissatisfied with the available choices of diet and commissary items. Low pay and lack of variety characterize a state of involuntary servitude, reducing the inmate self-esteem further and deepening the overall resentment against the administration. Freedom is further curtailed by the restrictions on personal possessions, access to family and other loved ones, and normal routines. The choice of with whom to cell, how to spend leisure time, when to eat, what to wear, and what property can be possessed add to the deprivation of free choice. In this “total institution” (Goffman, 1961) virtually all aspects of daily live are regulated.

The loss of heterosexual relationships is not restricted to the absence of physical intimacy in prisons but also to the restriction of all physical contact. In high-security facilities, for example, wives, lovers, and children are able to visit only behind a glass barrier. Even in lower-level institutions, physical contact is usually limited to hand-holding and an embrace upon arrival and departure during visits. The deprivation of normal physical contact with another human being, critically important to psychological well-being, adds a level of stress and dehumanization to the prison experience. There is little opportunity for a healthy outlet for a basic human need.

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