ABSTRACT
This chapter explains why prisonization occurs and describes how jail and prison culture has been changing over time. It describes the deprivations of prison life and explains why it is important to know about prison effects if people intend on rehabilitating offenders. It also explores how the roles of gangs in United States prisons have been changing since the 1980s. Television reality shows such as Lockup added another layer to our understanding of prison life. Lockup showed the living conditions and operations of jails and prisons in 237 episodes airing between 2005 and 2017. Prison films from the 1940s or 1950s typically portray smoothly running facilities where murders and riots were relatively rare events. Imprisonment during that time was used sparingly, and individuals placed in prisons generally had extensive criminal histories. Inmates new to prison life typically are called fish, a term that indicates their low and easily exploited status.
