Discouraging dignity: Linguistic barriers to transforming the prison environment

Abstract

There has been a recent push towards person-first language to describe people detained in the carceral system. This paper widens that lens, focusing on the language used to describe individuals who work in the system, specifically those perceived as pursuing too much dignity for incarcerated people. The paper revolves around a qualitative analysis of data from semi-structured interviews with 14 DOC employees involved in a prison reform project. By semantically analyzing variations in language meaning and purpose, the study finds that reform-minded correctional officers differentiate how they talk to and about incarcerated people. Also salient is that prison staff can be subject to language-based stigma if they are perceived as too sympathetic to incarcerated people. Specifically, the terms “inmate-lover” and “hug-a-thug” are pejorative and are employed by other correctional officers to undermine reform-oriented colleagues. We explore the various definitions and meanings of these terms and contemplate their policy significance.