Comment by xxr
3 years ago
> they used to say INMATE but that word has gone out of fashion
Is this due to some kind of “political correctness” thing coming from well meaning people outside the system that the system is pleased to accommodate for easy brownie points, or are there distinct-enough tiers of people inside the system that “inmate” isn’t useful?
I feel like it grew from within the system (where change isn't possible) until it was picked up by those outside the system who would articulate the change.
I was mostly locked up in pre-trial detention and "inmate" has a serious connotation of conviction behind it, so it was considered especially ugly and demeaning there, where the acceptable term is "detainee."
Here are some quick reads on the issue:
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2021/04/12/i-am-not-your-...
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2021/04/12/what-words-we-...