Models of the prisonization process are presented and the literature concerned with subscription to the inmate code, particularly among female prisoners, is reviewed. Using data collected from female prisoners in two Canadian institutions, multiple regression and path analytic techniques are employed to test the deprivation and importation models. Neither model receives unqualified support, but the importation model fares slightly better. The imported characteristics of age and prior imprisonment have the largest effects on code adherence, and these effects are largely unmediated by other factors; but a combination of variables from both models offers the best prediction. The results are compared with those of previous research and discrepant findings are discussed.
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