The Stanford Prison Experiment

Back in December 2006 I attended Marine Corps boot camp for three months. The Stanford Prison Experiment, though similar, was NOT the same. Thank goodness I've never been to prison so I don't know about that, but I wouldn't ever want to participate in anything like the Stanford Prison Experiment!!

Although the participants volunteered for this experiment, I think that experiment was unethical.  Three things that concerned me the most were: the attire the "prisoners" were forced to wear, the punishment for the rebellion, and the "replacement toilet" bucket.

At Marine Corps boot camp, men are shaved to cut individuality while women are forced to adhere to specific grooming regulations. Recruits are required be in uniformity when it comes to attire.  We were issued uniforms that consisted of utilities (woodland cammies), pt gear (a green shirt and green shorts), boots, socks, and for women sport bras.  But in the Stanford Prison Experiment the men were forced to wear gowns with no underwear.  It was soon noticed that the prisoners soon after began to walk, sit and in general act differently- more like women! It doesn't seem right to force that onto another.

The next thing that troubled me was the punishment for the rebellion. Prisoners were stripped naked, harassed and intimated! Now, I understand punishment for wrongdoing, but this?! Not only were they psychologically attacked, but they also were attacked physically by forcing them to be naked.

Lastly, what caught my eye was the bucket for toilet condition.  In boot camp, a recruit was NEVER denied a bathroom break.  A person can become ill from not using the bathroom when needed.  The guards not only denied bathroom breaks, but they also forced the prisoners to use buckets as toilets.  What is worse in this situation is that the guards, at times, wouldn't allow the prisoners to empty the buckets.  It's as if to them, the guards, humiliating the prisoners into using a bucket in their own cell wasn't enough humiliation that they (the prisoner) also had to dwell in that cell with the "full" bucket. The bucket situation was both a psychological and environmental issue.

Overall, I believe that the Stanford Prison Experiment was unethical. I hope that prisons don't actually allow guards to treat the prisoners as the "guards" treated the "prisoners" in the Stanford Prison Experiment.