The Society of Captives: A Study of a Maximum Security Prison

New York, NY: Atheneum , 1965 Atheneum, New York. 1965. Softcover/Trade Wraps. Stated First Atheneum Edition. Book is tight, square, and unmarked but for F/O name on the half title page; scattered underlining through page 28. Atheneum 79. Book Condition: Very Good: light wear to edges and spine shoulders; light rubbing to panels. No DJ. Pictorial card stock wraps. Wraps are not bent or folded; spine is not creased or split; text is secure in binding. White pages with no toning. 143 pp 12mo. This study examined the social system of the New Jersey State Maximum Security Prison in the 1950s, where approximately 300 custodial, clerical, and professional State employees composed an administrative staff charged with governing approximately 1,200 adult male criminals confined for periods ranging from 1 year to life. Two features of prison society were identified. First, social order was tenuous in the captive society of the prison. Although inmates recognized the authority of the custodians, the inmates were not motivated by a sense of moral duty to obey their captors. Absent such an internal motivation, inmates were forced, bribed, or coerced into compliance with behavioral requirements. A second conclusion is that the repressive power of prison authorities is not efficient in maintaining order. In addition to complying with prison regulations, the daily tasks of maintaining the institution included cooking, cleaning, and rehabilitation. These tasks required some independence in thinking and behavior, which was not encouraged in prison society. A clean very presentable copy.