List of Figures xi List of Tables xiii Acknowledgments xv Introduction 1 Chapter One Entry 16 Chapter Two The Constraints of Prison Life: An Overview 21 Material Constraints 22 Administrative Constraints 29 Subcultural Constraints: A Glimpse at the World of Grypsmen 34 Note on Importation versus Deprivation 37 Chapter Three Becoming a Grypsman 38 Initiation Tests 38 First Screening: Fag-Making and Baptism 41 Little Games 46 Hidden Tests 51 Prison University 54 Chapter Four Prison Code of Behavior 56 The Semi-Secret Code 58 The Secret Code 65 Sanctions and Intercaste Mobility 76 Chapter Five Argot 82 Argot Vocabulary 82 Argot Roles 85 Secret Argot Grammar 89 Language Games 95 Chapter Six Everyday Life 101 Random Walk through the Cell Archipelago 101 Information and Trade Markets 104 Coalitional Structures and Resource-Sharing 111 Arenas of Art and Entertainment 116 Fights and Exploitation 124 Chapter Seven Sex, Flirtation, Love 130 Masturbation 131 Fags 134 Women 138 Chapter Eight Strategic Ailment 145 Goals of Strategic Ailment 147 Techniques of Strategic Ailment 149 Cases of Self-Injury 155 Cases of Faking 163 Chapter Nine Exit 169 Postscriptum Variants and Evolution of Grypsmen Subculture 172 Local Variants and Modifications 172 The Evolution of Grypsmen Subculture 178 Appendix Prison Playground: Games and Decisions 183 Glossary Essential Argot 191 Notes 197 References 205 Index 209
Games Prisoners Play is not just a superb description of prison life but also a provocative analysis of why the choices prisoners make under difficult circumstances are rational. The lens through which Kaminski views these choices is elementary game theory, which he uses to elucidate the subtleties of different strategic situations in a highly imaginative way. This book ranks with only a handful of works I know of that apply game theory, in depth, to unusual subjects and end up enriching both the subject and the theory. -- Steven J. Brams, New York University, author of "Theory of Moves" and coauthor of "Fair Division: From Cake-Cutting to Dispute Resolution" An exceptionally interesting book, and a very engaging read, Games Prisoners Play is bound to make a major impact on scholarship in the field. I would be very surprised if it did not become a staple reference for any study of prison life for years to come. -- Diego Gambetta, author of "The Sicilian Mafia" A terrific achievement. Marek Kaminski combines a unique 'fieldwork' in Polish prisons with insightful models of prisoners' behavior. This is an exceptional contribution to the ethnography of prison life and an imaginative application of game theory. It is also a memoir in its own right. -- Federico Varese, author of "The Russian Mafia"
Marek M. Kaminski is Assistant Professor of Political Science and Mathematical Behavioral Science at the University of California, Irvine. Between 1982 and 1989 he managed Solidarity's underground publishing house STOP.
Winner of the 2004 Distinguished Book Award, European Academy of Sociology "Written with refreshing directness--funny and horrible by turns--and complemented by delightful illustrations, Games Prisoners Play ... makes a highly original contribution to the literature on prisons. The book will also prove valuable for introducing game theory... There could be no better advertisement for rational choice."--Michael Biggs, American Journal of Sociology
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