However, if a prisoner refuses to snitch once an offense has been found by a prison guard, guards can sentence the refusing inmate to a long stint in solitary confinement, or even take away his prison job, despite reforms. This pressure by guards can lead inmates to endangering themselves, by becoming a snitch.
Even transferring to protective custody does not assure protection against retaliation for snitching (Kupers 1997).
Once a snitch has agreed to give information, even those that seem to be giving it willingly, this information is often unreliable. As noted earlier, it is not uncommon for a snitch to exaggerate information in order to garner favor with guards, for their own selfish purposes. Some prisoners may even instigate criminal activity in order to have information to report. In some instances, the urban code that prevents many from snitching is often employed by snitches as well, in the form of denial of injury, which surmises that no code was broken if the snitch gives information that is either wrong or misleading (Topalli 2005).
Supermax prisons have been implemented as a means of creating a safer environment for both prisoners and guards, due to the decrease in relationships between the two factions and the increase in violent offenders.
However, research has shown that this type of system may actually increase violence in a prison system, due to coercive control strategies. Guards treat inmates in these supermax prisons as inherently dangerous, which often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Gone are the days when the precarious balance of prisoners looking to earn favors and guards wanting to keep the peace resulted in a working relationship. In its place is a system of fear and violence where information on illegal activities is most often obtained by unreliable snitches whose ulterior motives often negates the benefit they serve.
Works Cited
Briggs, Chad, Sundt, Jody, and Castellano, Thomas. "The Effect of Supermaximum Security Prisons on Aggregate Levels of Institutional Violence." Criminology, 41(4). Retrieved March 16, 2008. Available: ProQuest.
Hassine, Victor. Year. "Relationships Between Inmates and Guards." Pp. 162-164 in Book, edited by Editor. Place of publication: Publisher.
Kupers, Terry a. "Men, Prison, and the American Dream." Tikkun, 21:1. Retrieved March 16, 2008. Available: General OneFile.
Poole, Eric & Regoil, Robert. "Alienation in Prison." Criminology, 19:2. Retrieved March 16, 2008. Available: ProQuest.
A alli, Volkan. "When Being Good is Bad: An Expansion of Neutralization Theory." Criminology, 43:3. Retrieved March 16, 2008. Available: ProQuest.
