Case Study: Pelican Bay State Prison

2153 Words9 Pages
Pelican Bay State Prison: War Zone Marquette Steffke CJA/314 August 27, 2015 Gary Howard Pelican Bay State Prison: War Zone Pelican Bay State Prison is well known for an intriguing reputation. The reputation is withheld through gang leaders whom desire to enter the doors and dominate others while gaining an even better reputation for themselves. The prisoners within Pelican Bay commonly set a goal to gain entrance to this prison because it is more like a reward than a punishment. Gang leaders and members gain more strength and skill upon admission. This prison represents the theory of social structure due to the environment the criminals enter allowing them to continue down a negative path. The Pelican Bay Prison has many officers…show more content…
“Social structural perspective is a sociological perspective that emphasizes how a person’s social location in society influences their behavior” (Fuller, John, 2011). In this case regarding the Pelican Bay Prison, the location (the prison) causes the prisoners to develop more criminological tendencies and behavior. Gangs, in general, cause an individual to become more deviant and violent. This video supports the idea of social structure theory due to the environment changing the individual, and them being content with the lifestyle. Members of gangs enter the prison to be a part of an even bigger organization, and to gain the skills they need to have an even larger contribution within the gang…show more content…
The gangs still operate in full force, despite the restrictions on where the gang leaders are location-wise. The communication with the outside gang members still remain, and “hits” are still made to those that cause a threat to the gang and its members. The video regarding the Pelican Bay State Prison support the idea of social structure theory due to representing an environment that creates a negative reaction in its prisoners. The prisoners of Pelican Bay all begin to engage in criminal behavior and adapt to their surroundings. In this situation, social structure is the most logical explanation for the behavior of the inmates and the remaining criminal behavior. It is believed many of the individuals had hard struggles before entering the prison, hence the need to rely on gang interactions. The Pelican Bay State Prison was an environment to prove yourself to other gang members and represent the gang. You had to acquire strength, determination, and overall a violent nature. Many fights broke out in that prison, and most prisoners left with more strength and potential to continue in gang violence upon release from the prison. Environments determine the outcome of an individual. People have learned to adapt to their surroundings for many years, and that is what the prisoners of Pelican Bay State Prison did they adapted in order to survive and to
Open Document