While writing a response to a question posed by a reader on QUORA.com, a forum I love because participation makes me think and revives my creativity, I was asked, “Does the rule ‘snitches get stitches’ apply in psychiatric hospitals?”
Her question prompted the idea for posting this blog, so I will use it to let others know what the truth is in regards to prison and the process that led most to prison after their arrest (pleading guilty to avoid staying in prison longer than most men or women deserve).
Read my other Quora posts at https://www.quora.com/profile/Wayne-T-Dowdy
“Does the rule ‘snitches get stitches’ apply in psychiatric hospitals?”
The truth is that the “Snitches Get Stitches” rule doesn’t apply in the Criminal Justice System to the extent that it did decades ago.
The majority rules and based upon statistical data, “The overwhelming majority (90 to 95 percent) of cases result in plea bargaining.” https://www.bja.gov/Publications/PleaBargainingResearchSummary.pdf, and in the practical sense, to get a deal for a reduced sentence that majority cooperated with prosecuting authorities.
Not always but the majority agrees to cooperate during the plea negotiation process, who may then be required to return to court later to testify against another person so they can get a reduced sentence. That includes going back to court to testify against events inside prison to get a sentence reduction.
One of the many Quorans who work in Criminal Justice can supply the statistical data on prisoners who cooperate after conviction, but from my experience, sixteen years of which was spent in four different federal penitentiaries, most prisoners known to have cooperated do not get stitches or otherwise harmed.
However, some do, and some get stabbed or bludgeoned to death, but those are the exception, not the rule. I am not sure about the differences in psychiatric hospitals, but I will share my personal experience on similar issues.
I sponsored a man who was in a United States Federal Penitentiary with me who had a severe psychiatric condition. He gave me a book to read about the condition so I would know to get him help if he began to display certain behaviors that could lead to the harm of himself or others.
To do what he wanted of me could have led to me having to go to prison staff, a violation of the old, strict prison conduct rules (Don’t tell on anyone or talk to staff), a violation of which could have gotten me harmed or ostracized by my peers, if they lived by the old code of conduct. Most do not.
In a psychiatric facility, I don’t think it would be much different; however, if a patient gets reported by a staff member for saying something to them in private and then that trust got betrayed, in my opinion, it may make treatment more difficult unless the therapist established the ground rules from the start, and the patient could think of the situation from a rational perspective. But even under those circumstances, I doubt if the patient would be willing to resort to violence because he or she felt wronged.
A lot of people will harm those who tell on them to the authorities or to someone else about something meant to be kept confidential, but an overwhelming majority will let it go because they don’t want to get more time or don’t think they can get away with resorting to violence, or just accept that what they did was wrong and just let it go.
On a personal level, many years ago, I would have harmed someone for testifying against me in court, but once I got clean and started looking at things from a rational perspective, I accepted that what I did was wrong and let go of the hate and anger I held toward him for betraying my trust. I owed him an amends for my role in putting him in that position.
In other words, I changed my beliefs and became a different man. Now, how does that apply to your question? I used my personal experience to show that there are no hard-fast rules anymore when dealing with tales of prison life or life inside any facility where men and women are restrained or even where they are not. The game changed decades ago and most of the real killers are kept locked in a box once caught and taken off the street. [End quote]
Read ESSAYS & MORE STRAIGHT FROM THE PEN to learn more about the life that lead to prison.
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