I served two years in New York prison.
Yes, people are treated differently based on behavior. As well as other factors.
Typically, when an inmate first joins a house/dorm/unit, the officer expects the inmates with the most clout or respect to “check” the inmate at the door.
To ensure they know the house rules (every officer has a way they prefer things to run on their unit, and every set of inmates have their own rules for their house), and make it clear it will be enforced one way or another.
The officers will then keep a closer eye on the person just moving in. Get a feel for their habits, their cleanliness of their cube, hygiene habits, and if they will become a trouble maker.
When the officer gets a feel for someone who thinks they will just move however they want and do as they please, and throw a monkey wrench into the status quo…the officer will do all they can to ensure that inmate ends up in the box (also called the SHU or solitary or the hole, a segregated housing unit where you never leave a small cell, have no interaction with other people, no phone use, limited shower availability…basically, when you get arrested in prison, this is the prison you go to while in prison).
They might do so by closely monitoring their phone time and writing a disciplinary ticket for going on a minute early than you signed up for, or getting off a minute late. Or going out of their way to catch the inmate smoking, or “cross visiting” (hanging out in another inmates cube or room, or standing outside of it to talk for way too long), or any numerous other slight infractions.
In hopes that when they have to answer their ticket in a small hearing held by a sergeant or lieutenant, that they will be put on loss (a punishment that consists of losing certain privileges such as phone use, rec time, TV time, etc) in which their next write up during that 30 day loss period ends up with them getting put in the SHU.
This gets the unwanted inmate placed in another unit after their SHU stay or moved to a new prison entirely, solving the officers problem for good.
Alternatively. When you have proven to be quiet, friendly, and aren’t doing things that disrupt the daily flow on the unit. The officer will want you to stay and often allow leeway on small stuff – sneaking in an extra phone call outside of your allotted time, not writing you up when you are caught smoking, being too slow to get up for 6AM count, things like that.
If you aren’t a trouble maker, why should he want you to get in trouble and risk having you removed from the unit and being replaced by some loud, rude piece of S inmate who is going to make his shift a headache?
Oh, Hell yes.
I had a 15 year fixed sentence, and I served all of it in a maximum security setting. In year 3, I escaped over the fence in broad daylight.
The guards were not amused.
I was treated extremely poorly by them until I went to another prison.
I was placed in administrative segregation for 42 months, where I played very nicely.
They gave me another shot, and I took it and responded well. I entered into a programming tier, and started really turning it around. After my escape, I had exactly 0 Disciplinary Offense Reports for the next 12.5 years, did every program possible, worked for the last 4 years, and even became 1 of the 2 maintenance guys in the prison.
That is to say, I had access to every kind of weapon and escape tool I could make. I never, ever abused the privilege. That’s how well I was doing.
I broke the State record for release upon a fixed sentence.
I’m still on parole, and I still play by the rules. It will serve you well in all walks of life. And when you’re surrounded by idiots, liars, cheaters and con men, you will stand out like a sore thumb.
It takes years, but it absolutely does happen. And it absolutely does matter.
