“We keep the nightmares in their cages”: Correctional culture, identity, and the warped badge of honor*

Correctional scholarship has demonstrated concern over the dehumanizing implications of carceral state for incarcerated people. This been paralleled by an interest in understanding work prison staff and how correctional subculture may play active role dehumanization. By drawing from focus groups all prisons one state, we investigate construct manage their identity through “us–them” ideologies. We find that leverage negative attitudes toward incarcerated, these were underpinned sensational cultural stories epithets. Moreover, use “othering” as a means to warped badge honor, which illustrates burdens they bear frames themselves heroes, guardians, protectors. conclude with discussion our findings, where consider dehumanization mental coping endure carry out symbolic violence objectives system.