Graham Sykes in 'The Society of Captives' (1958) noted that inmates suffer five major deprivations -- liberty, goods and services, heterosexual relationships, autonomy, and security. Correctional systems have done much to alleviate the first four deprivations through classification systems, work release programs, better wages, conjugal visits, and furloughs. However, these improvements lose much of their significance in prisons where sudden and unpredictable violence is part of daily life. Prison officials in penitentiaries such as Illinois' Statesville have been unable to control ethnic gangs that dominate prison society and the underground economy, encouraging violence. The quality of punishment in this prison situation is determined by the prisoners rather than by the warden and produces high staff turnover, poor relations between guards and inmates, and a descent into barbarism. Contemporary discourse about prisons is divided between two themes that unfortunately seldom overlap: legislators and administrators are preoccupied with policy, relying on population projections and cost estimates, while courts and reformers focus on the quality of the prison experience. Using Sykes' principles, the prison situation can be reduced to the following propositions: the prison is a fixture in society; it is an authoritarian community that can be a benevolent despotism or a dangerous anarchy; the only hope for prisoners is that they can improve their prospects by participating in prison programs; and prisoners will deteriorate in an atmosphere of indifference and hatred. The essay contains 8 footnotes and 17 references.