View the documentary The Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo), 52 minutes, before participating in this discussion.
The Zimbardo experiment of the 1970’s was one of the experiments that spurred the creation of human-subjects review boards in colleges and universities. If the college men who knew the experiment was artificial succumbed to the temptation to inflict their will on the powerless, is it possible that the environment itself causes people to act in ways that they would not otherwise? How might this be applicable to a custody facility? Explain your position.
Scenerio
You are a prison guard supervising a tier. One of the inmates comes to you and asks a favor. Because he is a troublemaker, his mail privileges have been taken away. He wants you to mail a letter for him. You figure it is not such a big deal; besides, you know he could make your job easier by keeping the other inmates on the tier in line. What would you tell him?
