Dumb Tropes About Prison We Only Believe Because Of Hollywood

The Trope: After watching a prison film, one could be forgiven for believing the myth that cigarettes are used for currency. Whether in comedies or dramas, almost every prison film has a scene in which a character, usually the protagonist, has to use cigarettes to get what they want. 

Why It’s Inaccurate: At one point in history, this particular trope was actually true. The ubiquity of cigarettes in prison commissaries meant they could be, and were, used as currency by many inmates. Like many other institutions and spaces in the US, smoking is no longer allowed in most prisons. As a result, cigarettes have gone from being a form of currency in their own right to being yet another form of contraband. 

They are frequently smuggled into prisons by various gangs, and prisoners have to use books of stamps in order to procure them, often at significant expense. Furthermore, the more common currency in today’s prisons is, in fact, ramen noodles.

Notable Offenders: The Shawshank Redemption, A Prayer Before Dawn

The Trope: This particular trope is especially pernicious. Most people are familiar with the idea of inmates being assaulted - either sexually or otherwise - while they are rendered vulnerable in the showers. In the cinematic imagination, the showers are one of the most dangerous places to be in a prison.

Why It’s Inaccurate: Though the assaulting-in-the-shower scene is almost ubiquitous in cinematic presentations of prison life, the reality is often far more pedestrian. Obviously, there are incidents in which people are, in fact, assaulted while they are in the shower in prison. For the overwhelming majority of the time, however, showers are just another boring and thoroughly regulated aspect of incarcerated life. Most people simply take their showers, and leave. 

Notable Offenders: American History X, The Shawshank Redemption, Sleepers

The Trope: In prison films, violence is very much a way of life. Prison is portrayed as an entirely different world, savage and isolated from the morals of modern society.

Why It’s Inaccurate: There is, obviously, a problem of violence in the prison system, but the truth is much more mundane. If anything characterizes the lives of most prisoners it is, quite simply, boredom. In fact, research has repeatedly shown the extent to which prisoners are often bored, so much so they will feign various kinds of illnesses just to attain a change of scenery. 

Despite the types of enrichment opportunities often available in prison, the hyper-regulation of prisoners’ time, not to mention the sheer inescapability of their confinement, means their options for recreation are quite limited.

Notable Offenders: The Green Mile, American History X, Bronson

The Trope: Many prison films begin or end with the protagonist standing outside of prison ready (or reluctant) to start their new life. The institution is literally behind them.

Why It’s Inaccurate: Just on a psychological level, time spent in prison often leaves a deep and lasting impression on those who spend time behind bars. But on a legal level, a former convict retains a significant connection to the system itself. To take just one example, in California, prisoners are assigned a Parole Agent, with whom they are required to stay in contact. Depending on the severity of the offense in question, they may be turned over to either state-level or county-level supervision, and failure to report to these authorities on a regular basis can send them right back to prison. 

Notable Offenders: Ocean's 11, The Blues Brothers, Reindeer Games, The Shawshank Redemption, American Gangster

The Trope: In many prison films, solitary confinement is often portrayed as merely a variation of time out for adults. Many characters who receive this punishment spend time in a spacious, if desolate, cell and keeping themselves occupied with calisthenics or perhaps singing. 

Why It’s Inaccurate: In reality, solitary confinement is an incredibly destructive and psychologically debilitating form of punishment. The cells for solitary confinement are very often incredibly tiny - often no larger than a parking space - thus forcing people into truly uncomfortable living quarters. 

Extensive research has also shown the debilitating effects it has on the minds (leading to brain shrinkage, for example) and bodies of those sentenced to such punishment. It has often been shown to lead to numerous disorders and a shortened lifespan. And it may have the exact opposite effect on poor behavior, contributing not to reform but to recidivism. 

Notable Offenders: The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, The Longest Yard

The Trope: The interchangeability of the words “jail” and “prison” within the world of the movies is understandable, as it mostly reflects the way the terms are used in common parlance.  

Why It’s Inaccurate: Basically, the difference between jail and prison has to do with the amount of time involved in the incarceration (as well as the concomitant quality of life for those so imprisoned). For the most part, jails are administered by local governments, and they typically accommodate inmates for a relatively short period of time. For example, they are often used for inmates who are awaiting trial. Often, jails include various kinds of recuperation programs. 

Prisons, since they are meant for longer stays of imprisonment, are typically administered by the state or federal government. As prisons are intended for long-term stays, they often involve a more developed infrastructure for attending to the daily needs of those who live there.  

Notable Offenders: Too many to list