Abstract
Research over the past several decades shows that those who act in ways inconsistent with desired identities often account for (i.e., excuse or justify) their actions to save face and maintain social identities. While the bulk of research on the use of accounts examines how people make sense of behaviors that go against conventional values, recent research suggests that those who do not adhere to subcultural norms engage in similar talk. The current study builds on the sociology of accounts by exploring whether inmates articulate a convict code; whether they provide accounts for code violations that are comparable to those given by active offenders; and whether incarceration shapes inmates’ use of these accounts. Interviews with 40 inmates residing in a maximum security prison suggest that they rely on linguistic devices to align their actions with subcultural beliefs and that the prison environment structures the pattern of these accounts.
Notes
1While some prefer to use the term “inmate code,” we have opted to use convict code. We use this term because it was the phrase used by those we interviewed.
2“Grassing” is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer to passing information to the police or prison authorities about others’ criminal or illicit activities. It is synonymous with the terms “snitching” or “ratting,” which are more often used in the United States.
3The findings of Rosenfeld and colleagues (Citation2003) and Topalli (Citation2005) are based on interviews with active offenders in St. Louis. Topalli included interviews from Rosenfeld and colleagues’ study in his analysis.
4The “box” is a term used by inmates to refer to lockers where they could store personal property.