Containment Theory In Prison
Containment theory and the idea of pushes and pulls can be attributed to the deviant behaviour of sharing needles, doing drugs, and engaging in unprotected sex, because the inmates are faced with constant pushes and pulls throughout their stay in prison. A lot of prisoners come into jail with substance abuse problem (Jurgens, Nowak, & Day, 2011), similarly some do not, and only once inside prison do they engage in behaviour that could create a risk to contract HIV (Chu, Peddle, & Canadian HIV-AIDS Legal Network, 2010, p. 11). If individuals are already coming into prison with a drug problem they will still find ways in which they can get drugs (Chu et al., 2010) and alternatively, due to other factors they are faced with once inside, prisoners may resort to using drugs as a way to pass the time or feel better about the situation they are in (Griffiths & Murdoch, 2014). For
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example, many inmates do not necessarily want to share dirty needles, but resort to it because they have an issue that is not being helped, prison guards punish rather than help and this is shown in the article written by Wendy Glauser (2013), who explained that in one instance an inmate wanted to give in his needle because he desired to stop using, but instead of helping to rid him of his problem he receives an institutional charge (Glausur, 2013). Here we have a great example of a pull, another inmate like this may have the thought of wanting to stop using drugs, but is afraid of getting another charge, so then continues to keep the needle and in turn continues to use.
A quote from an inmate explained why he continued to use drugs, “I would say about one third of the prison population would inject. Drugs were easy to get, once drugs got in, guards didn’t really care, because we were already in the worst place we could possibly be in our life.” (Chu, Peddle, & Canadian HIV-AIDS Legal Network, 2010, p. 10). This further explains one of the major pulls of injecting drugs, there was little to no help in regards to their drug issues and it is also seen as a coping method, a way to numb their surroundings, to forget that they were in a really bad place. The inmates are at a crossroads, they want to cope with the environment that is prison, but they also want to fit in with the culture as a way to make their time go smoother. They may not want to do drugs, or get dirty tattoos, yet they give into the pushes that makes up the prison
culture.
example, many inmates do not necessarily want to share dirty needles, but resort to it because they have an issue that is not being helped, prison guards punish rather than help and this is shown in the article written by Wendy Glauser (2013), who explained that in one instance an inmate wanted to give in his needle because he desired to stop using, but instead of helping to rid him of his problem he receives an institutional charge (Glausur, 2013). Here we have a great example of a pull, another inmate like this may have the thought of wanting to stop using drugs, but is afraid of getting another charge, so then continues to keep the needle and in turn continues to use.
A quote from an inmate explained why he continued to use drugs, “I would say about one third of the prison population would inject. Drugs were easy to get, once drugs got in, guards didn’t really care, because we were already in the worst place we could possibly be in our life.” (Chu, Peddle, & Canadian HIV-AIDS Legal Network, 2010, p. 10). This further explains one of the major pulls of injecting drugs, there was little to no help in regards to their drug issues and it is also seen as a coping method, a way to numb their surroundings, to forget that they were in a really bad place. The inmates are at a crossroads, they want to cope with the environment that is prison, but they also want to fit in with the culture as a way to make their time go smoother. They may not want to do drugs, or get dirty tattoos, yet they give into the pushes that makes up the prison
culture.