Is there a hierarchy of criminal respect in prison?
Here’s what I mean:
In any ‘tribe’ or population, there is always some leader, various assistants, and then the rest of the tribe.
In prison, does the prisoner’s offense govern their place in the tribal hierarchy?
For example, would a multiple murderer have more respect / authority than, say, a bank robber? Would an embezzler get more respect than, say, a car thief?
I have read that rapists and child molesters get the least respect of all and sometimes punished by the prisoners themselves.
What creates tribal leadership in prison?
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5 Answers
Never been in prison and hope never to be. Only time I was locked up was years ago when I punched a guy in the jaw because he made an off color remark about a lady I was with. He fell into the pool but luckily didn’t press charges. Police locked me up over night for public intoxication. The girl was gracious enough to pay my bond next morning and get me out. Live and learn I guess.
My wife worked in a prison for a couple years and was a probation officer for many years after that. According to her, there’s no set hierarchy based on type of crime except to say the pedophiles and child abusers are always the lowest of the low. On the inside, even a remorseless killer thinks someone who hurts and/or sexualized children is scum. As such, they are often targets and have a very rough time in prison.
I would guess that child rapists are at the bottom, while the wardens are at the top.
I would imagine it has more to do with street gangs/prison gangs than the crimes committed. Street gangs bleed over into prison when people get arrested and then people make their own gangs in prison. I would imagine a hierarchy exists within that, and where the outside people don’t fuck with those in the gang. But I don’t think mutual respect is just a thing based on crimes committed. That seems sort of weird.
But yes, as everyone said. Basically any sex offender, child or not, is at the way bottom of anything.
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