Discuss each of the pains of imprisonment as conceived by Sykes. What influences the degree to which they are experienced by prisoners?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The pains of imprisonment include the deprivation of liberty: inmates in a prison (or jail) are not free to leave, or even to move about the institution without the permission and are cut off, from family and friends. They cannot call whomever they like or visit with whom they want, when they wish to do so. The deprivation of goods and services: inmates are required to surrender all of their property upon entrance into the prison system and, in most cases, they cannot have it back until they leave. The property they are allowed to legally possess is very limited and monitored closely by staff. The deprivation of heterosexual relationships: inmate’s access to significant others in the wider world is limited to visiting where touching is only minimally sanctioned. The deprivation of autonomy: the inmate is also severely restricted in the rule-bound prison world. When, how, where, and with whom they live, eat, work, and play are all determined by the rules of the institution. Inmates can make few choices regarding their lives while imprisoned, and all of those choices are shaped by their imprisonment. The deprivation of security: inmates are thrown together with others, some of whom are aggressive and violent or become so in a prison environment, perhaps particularly in the maximum security. Sykes did not believe that all inmates experienced or perceived these pains in the same way. He acknowledged that the way in which one experiences these pains does vary some by individual and by background, as well as by the prison one is incarcerated in.