Under these conditions most offenders claim to repent, and
“jailhouse religion” as a form of self-preservation is not
uncommon. Think for a minute about repentance from Gilbert’s
point of view. Gilbert is a bright, engaging thirty-three-year-old in
the Kyle unit. He grew up in a military family, lived in several
different countries, and completed two years of computer science at
a major university. He is now in prison for computer fraud. Gilbert
has “repented”—made a commitment to himself to reform and
never again engage in such criminal activity. However, he has made
this commitment only because prison has achieved its goal of
deterrence and social control. Gilbert doesn’t plan to commit
computer fraud again because he doesn’t want to visit the big house
again. He doesn’t like prison, so he plans to stay away from crime
when he is released, but he has no remorse for what he has done
and no plan to make amends beyond what is necessary to minimize
his time in “this hell-hole.”