Prison “registration” as a correlate of archaic initiation

One of the characteristics of the Russian cultural space is the existence of aggressive counterculture. The distinctive features of the prison subculture include such a phenomenon as prison “registration”, which is a procedure for accepting newcomers into the community of prisoners. Prison “registration” is an analogue of the initiation ritual, existing in many archaic cultures. The main stages of initiation are subject to a single algorithm: (1) a three-part temporal division of the ritual: preliminary, liminary and postliminary phases; (2) the plot line in the initiation scenario as a ritual death and resurrection in a new quality; (3) mythological reactualization, consisting in the transformation of the meaning of the existence of the individual in the new community; (4) participation of the initiator’s personality; (5) lustration of the neophyte. The ritual of prison “registration” is associated with the archetype of t Great Mother. The initiation rite can be divided into three stages: (1) separation, (2) transition, and (3) incorporation. The stigmatization of a neophyte consists of: (1) a verdict on the classification of the newcomer into a particular prison caste, (2) assignment to the newcomer of a prison nickname, (3) branding of the newcomer - applying a tattoo encoding the person’s position in the prison hierarchy. Prison initiation games and guessing prison riddles play a huge role in the “registration” ritual. The unified structure of the initiation procedure in the prison subculture and in archaic societies allows classifying prison “registration” as a phenomenon of cultural homoplasy. The reason for the similarity between the “registration” ritual and primitive initiation is the reduction of complex forms of social life. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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