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prison, an institution for the confinement of persons who have been remanded (held) in custody by a judicial authority or who have been deprived of their liberty following conviction for a crime. A person found guilty of a felony or a misdemeanour may be required to serve a prison sentence. The holding of accused persons awaiting trial remains an important function of contemporary prisons, and in some countries such persons constitute the majority of the prison population. In the United Kingdom, for example, generally about one-fifth of the prison population is unconvicted or unsentenced, while more than two-thirds of those in custody in India are pretrial detainees. We are especially grateful to governors and heads of health care at the 12 women’s prisons who helped facilitate visits, and to health and social care staff, prison staff and residents who spoke candidly of their experiences and offered suggestions for change. At that point, Zimbardo said, “Listen, you are not #819. You are [his name], and my name is Dr. Zimbardo. I am a psychologist, not a prison superintendent, and this is not a real prison. This is just an experiment, and those are students, not prisoners, just like you. Let’s go.” The National Women’s Prisons Health and Social Care Review was established in 2021, driven by a commitment to improve health and social care outcomes for all women in prison and upon their release.
Within hours of beginning the experiment, some guards began to harass prisoners. At 2:30 A.M. prisoners were awakened from sleep by blasting whistles for the first of many “counts.” The experiment demonstrated the power of situations to alter human behavior dramatically. Even good, normal people can do evil things when situational forces push them in that direction. Women on short sentences and on remand may not be offered the same access to services as women on longer sentences. (The proportion of women being sent to prison to serve short sentences has risen. In 1993, one third of custodial sentences given to women were for less than six months; in 2022 it more than half (53%) (Ministry of Justice (2023)).The next day, the guards held a visiting hour for parents and friends. They were worried that when the parents saw the state of the jail, they might insist on taking their sons home. Guards washed the prisoners, had them clean and polish their cells, fed them a big dinner and played music on the intercom.
Underpinning the work of the Review was what may be the largest ever engagement of women with lived experience of prison. Over 2,250 contributions from women were received, spanning views captured from group discussions and one to one meetings, letters, postcards and drawings. Neurodiversity was frequently raised as being inadequately understood. Neurodiverse women are not routinely identified, are often misunderstood and sometimes poorly managed. Communication by staff with women with neurodiverse needs is often not delivered in a way that enables and supports understanding and retention. This can result in depression and anxiety, and behaviour such as self-harm, violence and poor regime compliance. The Women’s Review was mindful of the related health and social care activities, research and enquiries being undertaken by statutory and voluntary sector services across the women’s estate. Where relevant, these were drawn on to ensure convergence and minimise the risk of duplication. Governance
However, there is considerable evidence that the participants did react to the situation as though it was real. For example, 90% of the prisoners’ private conversations, which were monitored by the researchers, were on the prison conditions, and only 10% of the time were their conversations about life outside of the prison. The experiment had to be terminated after only 6 days due to the extreme, pathological behavior emerging in both groups. The situational forces overwhelmed the dispositions of the participants. In addition, revelations by Zimbardo (2007) indicate he actively encouraged the guards to be cruel and oppressive in his orientation instructions prior to the start of the study. For example, telling them “they [the prisoners] will be able to do nothing and say nothing that we don’t permit.” Banuazizi, A., & Movahedi, S. (1975). Interpersonal dynamics in a simulated prison: A methodological analysis. American Psychologist, 30, 152-160. Alan Scott.Executive Director Public Sector Prisons North and Women’s Estate,HM Prison and Probation Service. 1. Foreword
This counters a solely situationist view of good people succumbing to evil situational forces. Ethical Issues What is the point of a report telling us that 100 women have accessed a doctor, and there’s x number of women waiting to see one, but not asking whether the doctor is any good?’ The prisoners soon adopted prisoner-like behavior too. They talked about prison issues a great deal of the time. They ‘told tales’ on each other to the guards.Another guard said “Acting authoritatively can be fun. Power can be a great pleasure.” And another: “… during the inspection I went to Cell Two to mess up a bed which a prisoner had just made and he grabbed me, screaming that he had just made it and that he was not going to let me mess it up.
The Stanford Prison Experiment was a very benign prison situation and it promotes everything a normal prison promotes — the guard role promotes sadism, the prisoner role promotes confusion and shame”. Sample biasZimbardo P, Haney C, Banks WC, Jaffe D. The Stanford Prison Experiment: A simulation study of the psychology of imprisonment. Stanford University, Stanford Digital Repository, Stanford; 1971.
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