Citation

Beauregard V, Brochu S. Deviant Behav. 2013; 34(5): 339-360.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/01639625.2012.726178

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Although the prison subculture encourages solidarity and mutual support, this does not suffice to control all behaviors inside the walls, since physical and verbal aggressions still occur between inmates. Gambling in prison leads to certain frictions, such as quarrels or threats. However, these frictions are better explained by the characteristics of the prison environment. The real problem would not lie necessarily in the inmates' gambling habits, but rather in the tensions that exist inside the walls and that influence their behaviors. That being said, conflicts similar to those associated with gambling have been observed in other, non-betting, leisure activities. This is notably what emerged from the analysis of 51 interviews conducted with male inmates in three federal penitentiaries in Quebec. This article takes a dynamic look at the physical and verbal aggressions surrounding gambling and puts them into perspective with the reality of the prison environment.