"How's it going, fellas?" " Hi." " Hi." "How you doing?" "All right." "Comfortable?" "Uh, yeah." "Sure." "Okay." "Question one." "Have you ever talked to a psychiatrist or a psychologist about an emotional problem?" "Uh, no." "Nice." "Have you ever felt you needed help with an emotional problem?" "Uh..." "No." "Have you ever attempted to kill yourself?" "Wow." "Uh, no." "No." "In the past year, have you consumed any alcohol or..." " Yes." " Illegal drugs?" "Illegal drugs?" "Um, yes." "Do-is this- this is going on record?" "If I say "no," that means that I can be in it?" "Not necessarily." "It's $15 a day?" " Yeah." " That's correct." "No, I haven't had any alcohol or anything like that." "Have you ever given in to an aggressive urge or impulse?" "Uh, what do you mean by that?" "Like, domestic violence or rape, incest" " No, no, no, no." " Things of that nature." " No." " No." "I go to Stanford." "Okay." "Have you ever experienced any emotional problems associated with your sexual interests or your choice of a sexual partner?" "Does love count?" "If you'd like it to." "Okay, then no." "Why do you want to participate in this study?" "To be honest, financial gain." "I could use a little cash this summer." "I just saw the $15 a day." "I was looking through the ads, and it was just... the most interesting." "If selected for this study, would you rather be a guard or a prisoner?" "I don't think I have the qualities to be a guard." "Prisoner." "Prisoner, I guess." "L-I wouldn't want to be a guard." " Prisoner." " A prisoner." "Prisoner." "A prisoner sounds like it would be a little less work." "Prisoner." "Why's that?" "Nobody likes guards." "All right, we got a heads." "So we can just put him over there, yeah, with the prisoners." "II" "Last one." "You want the honors?" "II" "II" "Heads again." "He's a prisoner." "Okay, so the last one's a guard." "Exactly." "Well, QUYS"" "I think we have our prisoners and our guards." "II" "Good afternoon, gentlemen." "I am Dr. Phil Zimbardo, professor of psychology here at Stanford University." "Welcome to orientation." "You're gonna be very pleased to know that you all have been chosen to be the prison guards in this study." "And that choice was made based upon the exemplary qualities that you all demonstrated during your interviews." "So good for you." "II" "This experiment will be an extension of my research into the effects prisons can have on human behavior." "And being that it's summer and the school's almost empty, we should have near complete privacy for this study." "And as you'll soon see, we have cleared out some of the teachers' offices and converted them into prison cells, and the hallway will serve as the prison yard." "But remember, just as you are watching the prisoners, my graduate staff and I will be watching you." "So under no circumstances whatsoever are you to hit or physically assault the prisoners in any way." "Now, you'll all be given sunglasses and uniforms to give the prisoners a sense of a unified, singular authority." "Once a prisoner is jailed, he will not be able to leave, except under established procedures." "And from this point forward, you should never refer to this as a study or an experiment again." "A lot of these books," "I don't even know where I got them." "The perils of moving in together." "What are you thinking about?" "The experiment?" "No, experimenfs routine." "You know, I'm gonna be away for two weeks, and then..." "And then you are gonna be starting your new job." "You make it sound like it's in a different state." "Berkeley is an hour up the road." "Oh, that I know." "It's just I don't know what the guys and I are gonna do without you." "Phil..." "No one's ever gonna take me seriously and- and my career seriously until I go out there and prove it on my own." "Hey..." "It could have been New York." "I made this decision for us." "I know." "I know." "I know." "It's just..." "You know what?" "Nobody deserves this more than you." "You were a great student of mine." "And you're gonna be a great professor." "Thank you." "Now wait a second." "You did miss a spot right over there." "Hey!" "You can't fall for that." "Come on!" "Get out of here." "Get out of here." "Hey." "You Daniel Culp?" "Uh, yeah." "That's" "That's the name they gave me." "I'm placing you under arrest for violation of California Penal Code 211, armed robbery." "Hey, my brother didn't do anything." "Uh, they know that." "Everything will be fine." "Go-go on, tell Mom I won't be home for dinner." "She'll understand." "It's okay." "Hands on the car and spread 'em." "Which one of us should start?" "Well, I'll do it." "Okay, feet apart." "Wider." "I said "wider."" "You guys, this doesn't have to be" "Just keep your hands on the wall." "Okay, just keep your hands on the wall." "Um, put your head down." "Uh, and take off your shoes." "Uh..." "Oh, oh." "Okay." "Um..." "Put your hands at your sides." "Now I want you to strip." "Uh, really?" "Maybe I could have some privacy first" "Shut up!" "And strip." "And put your clothes on the floor." "Oh, man." "Put your clothes to the right." "The shirt." "Don't we have to delouse him first?" "Oh, shit." "Uh, stay where you are." "II" "II" "Ah, oh." "Right." "Jesse." "Ah." "You made it." "I'm so happy." "I'm so happy." " Yeah." " Very, very, very good." "Uh, everybody, this is Jesse Fletcher." "He's gonna consult with us on the experiment." "We got Paul, Kyle, and you remember Mike." " (He')!" "" " Yep" "Hi." "Why don't you pull up a chair?" "What?" "Why me?" "Just do it." "All right." "Put your arms above your head." "Fuck." "Wow." "Hey, Phil, um," "I don't mean to be rude, but what qualifies him to be here'?" "Well, he's got experience." "You're kidding, right?" "Okay, boys, let's take her down there and show her just how pretty she looks." "All right, listen up." "From now on, you will be known as Prisoner 8612 and only as 8612." "And you will, at all times, refer to us as Mr. Correctional Officer." "You got it?" "Uh, yeah, I got it." "What was that?" "I mean, yes, sir, Mr. Correctional Officer, sir." "Yeah, good." "All right, um, let's take her down to cell number two." "All right." "Let's get the next one." "Hey." "What are you doing in here?" "You're missing everything." "What?" "You brought me here to legitimize this experiment, and there's nothing legitimate about this place, Phil." "You're right." "You're right." "I didn't explain it well." "Prisons, they represent... a loss of freedom, literally and symbolically." "Yeah, but that does not explain why they're wearing dresses." "They're wearing dresses, Phil." "Yes, I understand." "Uh..." "We're trying to strip away their individuality..." "Make them uniform, feminize them." "Feminize them?" "Yes." "Feminize them." "Take away all the things that make them them." "You see, we're trying to understand how an institution affects an individuaFs behavior." "We're trying to do something..." "We're trying to do something good." "Hey, man." "I'm Daniel." "Uh, that's Jeff." "Hey," " I'm-l'm Peter." "Well, nice to meet you, comrade." "What are you in for?" "Uh... they said something about burglary, but, uh," "I mean, I didn't really do anything." "Sure, sure." "Joint's overflowing with innocent men." "We've been framed- framed, I tell ya!" "I'm just messing with you." "You can sit down, you know." "Yeah." "Are you aware we're supposed to be quiet?" "Yeah, you are aware they can't lay a finger on us." "It's in the contract." "We can do whatever we want." "I'm just saying I think it'll go a whole lot smoother if we do what we're told." "Okay!" "Time for lineup!" "II" "II" "II" "Prisoners are part of a correctional community." "In order to keep the community running smoothly, prisoners must obey the following rules." "Rule number one:" "prisoners must remain silent during rest periods, after lights out, during meals, and outside the prison yards." "Rule number two:" "prisoners must eat at meal times and only at meal times." "Rule number three:" "prisoners must participate in all prison activities." "prisoners must address the guards as Mr. Correctional Officer and the Warden as Mr. Chief Correctional Officer." " Rule number five..." " You're on, Mike." "Smoking is a privilege." "Rule number six..." "You can call me, uh, Warden from here on." "Hey, maybe tell the guards to lighten up a bit." " Yeah." " I wouldn't do that." "prisoners must report..." "All right." "Don't interfere." "AH rule violations to the guards." "failure to obey any of the above rules may result in punishment." "All right, stand at attention for Warden Penny." "All of you have shown that you are unable to function in the real world." "You lack the responsibility of the good people of this great country." "Well, we are here to help you learn what your responsibilities are." "Now, if you follow the rules and keep your hands clean, if you repent for your misdeeds and show a proper attitude of penitence, well, we'll get along just fine, gentlemen." " How is it in there?" " It's fine." "Prisoners are falling in line." "Yeah, we kind of did all the hard work for you." "I can almost smell the pork." "Better pork than wearing a dress, dude." "f."" "You know who you look like?" "You look like that guy from Cool Hand Luke." "You know, the one that kills Paul Newman at the end?" "Haven't seen the film." "Thanks for ruining it, man." "Oh, it's a great flick." "I'm partial to Captain myself." "F."" "Now, I can be a nice guy, or I can be one real mean son of a bitch." "It's all up to you." "F."" "Oh, we should strike for better food." "And more money." "Just eat your food, 8612." "Keep your comments to yourself." "Hey, man." "Can I have a smoke?" "Oh, yeah." "Smoking is a privilege, 5704, one you're gonna have to earn." "It says in the contract, after mealtime" "As for the rest of you prisoners..." "I need not remind you of rule number one." "I don't want any more talking." "Uh-oh." "Look at this guy." "Thinks he's John Wayne or something." " Jesus." " What the fuck, man?" "That means you, 8612." "You got that?" "Okay, is it just me, or..." "Are these guys taking this thing a bit too seriously?" "Uh, yeah." "They're just doing their job." "Same as us." "Uh, really?" "'Cause it seems to me like they're having more fun twirling their batons than I'm having with my balls hanging out of this fucking dress." "This isn't about fun." "This is a job." "Yeah, but for 15 bucks?" "Yeah, 15 bucks that I really need." "Yeah, we all need it, but why should we be working twice as hard for it than these guys?" "I'm thinking we need to make the guards earn their pay." "Visiting day is in two days." "We would like to give you the opportunity to write a letter to the person that you would like to have come visit." "Isn't that nice?" "In 3O minutes, you will be required to turn in a finished letter." "Do not seal the envelope." "Whether or not your letter gets sent will be based on your behavior." "Are there any questions?" "I have a question, Mr. Chief Correctional Officer." "Uh, will we be allowed one phone call?" "No, you will not." "Oh, yeah..." "Question, 5486?" "Yeah, yeah, Mr. Chief Correctional Officer, um, my glasses..." "What about them?" "Well, I- I mean, need them to see." "Wha..." "Your correctional staff is here to serve you, 5486." " Right, it's just I get..." " You don't need your glasses." "Don't interrupt the warden, boy." "Mr. Correctional Officer, when will we know our sentence?" "Whenjudgment is passed on you." "And when will that be?" "Well, that is for the judge and the court to determine." "When are we gonna go to court?" "That is also for the judge and the court to determine." "Uh, Mr. Correctional Officer, sir, uh, my pills..." "I need my pills" "I wasn't aware that you took medication, 3401." "Uh, well, they're vitamins, Mr. Correctional Officer." "Well, you get all the vitamins you need in the tasty, nutritious food we serve you, 3401." " Yes, but" " That's enough chin-wagging." "Let's get to writing those letters, ladies." "II" "II" "No, nothing so far." ""I'll do my best to organize the other prisoners and bring an end to this oppressive situation."" "Signed, "Power to the people."" "Well, clearly, he's not taking this very seriously." "Hey." "Check this one out." "Look how he signed it." "Jesus." "It's only been ten hours." "This might be an interesting two weeks after all." "Mm-hmm." "Let's go, boys." "All right, gentlemen, we gonna have ourselves a little count." "Gonna be a lot of fun." "Okay, 5704, go." "Loud and clear." "5704." "3401." " 7258." " Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." "Is that loud and clear?" "Maybe you didn't hear me right." "Loud and clear." "Go." "5704." "3401." " 7258." " 819." " 1037." " Stop!" "1037,you don't know your own name'?" "Why'd you have to look down?" "'Cause I didn't know my number." " You didn't know your number?" " No, sir." "You know your name now, boy?" "Yes, sir." " What's your number?" " 1037." "Then, 1037, don't look down at your dress next time." "Start again." " Faster." " 5704." " 3401." " 7258." "When I say, "Again, faster,"" "I expect you to go again, faster." "5704, go again." "Faster." " 5704." " 3401." " 7258." " 819." " 1037." " 8612." " 2093." " Uh, 5486." "4325." "Now, that was terrible." "Maybe them caps on your heads are a little too tight, gentlemen, 'cause that was slow as hell." "Since you guys can't go forwards, how about we try going backwards?" "407" "No, God damn it." "I said backwards." "Starting with him." "4325." " 5486." " 2093." "Uh, 86- Fuck!" "Excuse me, 8612?" "Did you use profanity?" "Yes, I did, Mr. Correctional Officer." "Well, just for that, you have to start all over again." "_ 4_" " Because of you." "That's right, don't interrupt Mr. Correctional Officer." "Go, 4325." " 4325." " Uh, 5486." " 2093." " 8612." " 1037." " 819." " 7258." " 3401." " 5704." " Tell you what you're gonna do." "Tell you what we're gonna do." "I got a great idea." "How about we try singing it?" "That'll get the blood boiling a little bit." "5704, go!" "I know you got it." "I know you got a set of lungs on you, 5704." "I see any smiling, it's jumping jacks." "Go." "I 5704 I" "♪ 3401 I" "I 7258 I 7258, you think this is funny?" "Start again." " Higher." " Like a pretty little girl." "I 5704i" "I 3401 I" "I 7258i" "I can't get that high." "819, how about you give me a couplejumpingjacks, if you find it so funny." "Y'all find that funny?" "Y'all think this is funny." "This ain't no Romper Room." "Since y'all find this so amusing, how about you come on out here and give me ten jumping jacks, all y'all at the same time?" "Count 'em off." "And sing it loud and clear." " Ten jumping jacks." "Let's go." " I One, two, three I" "I" "I Seven, eight I" "I Nine, ten I" "This John Wayne guy is remarkable." "From the second he stepped in the yard, he's been in complete control." "He's just doing his job." " 5704." " 3401." "7258." " 1037." " 8612." " 2093." " 5486." "4325." "No." "Now count it like you mean it." " 5704." " 3401." " 7258." " 819." " 1037." " 8612." " 2093." " 5486." "4325." "I want it fast, I want it loud, and I want it clear." "5704!" " 3401!" " 7258!" " 819!" " 1037!" " 8612!" " 2093!" " 5486!" " 4325." "That was pretty, real pretty." "That's how we want it done." "What are you so proud about, 7258?" "Tell me the number of the dress to the man to your right." "Don't look." "No cheating'." "I couldn't tell you." "I tell you what." "Why don't you come out here and give me ten jumping jacks after you tell me what number that is?" "3401." "4325, tell me the number of the man standing to your right." "Um, 5486, Mr. Correctional Officer." "Well, since you had to look," "I want you to step up here," "I want you to do five push-ups, four jumping jacks, then eight push-ups, then six jumping jacks so you will remember the name of the man standing to your right and you won't have to look next time." "Five push-ups." "There you go." "One, two, three, four, five." "One, two, three..." "Little less rattle there." "Four." " One..." " All the way down now." " Three..." " There you go." " Four, five." " That's a real man's push-up." "Six, seven, eight." "II" "One, two, three, four, five, six." "Get back in line." "Did y'all enjoy your counts this evening?" "No, sir." "Who said that?" " This one." " 8612?" "What?" "You want me to lie?" "Maybe you'd enjoy a little time in the hole." "Anybody else not enjoy their counts?" "Anybody else want to be honest here?" "Good." "Hey, I, uh..." "I think one of us needs to go home." " Are you sure?" " Yeah, yeah." "We got another two weeks of this." "We need to pace ourselves." "Fine." "Have fun down here in the dungeons of Jordan Hall." " See you later." " Good night." "Hey, Phn?" "You want to go get some rest?" "Uh..." "No, I'm gonna stay here a little bit more." "Come on out of there, 8612." "Get crackin', boy." "Don't none of these other prisoners get to sleep till you make your bed to my satisfaction." "Go on." "Nice and tight." "And I assure you, all of those other prisoners are real tired from all those counts you made 'em do." "No wrinkles now." "Oh, I hope you're not done yet." "I think your mama taught you to make a better bed than that." "Come on now." "Don't disappoint your mama, boy." "Move those sheets." "Start over." "I want those corners nice and neat." "John Wayne is a fag." "What was that, 8612?" "Um, I'm sorry, Mr. Correctional Officer?" "Did you just sass me, 8612?" "Um..." "No?" "No." " Hmm." " No, Mr. Correctional Officer." "That's funny." "I could've sworn you did." "That's so strange." "Very strange." "You know what?" "Just the same, 8612, why don't you come on out here in the hallway and give me 2O push-ups?" "Count 'em off so everybody can hear them." "One, two, three, four..." " Louder." " Five, six, seven, eight..." " Nine, ten..." " Don't touch his bed, 1037." "41,12..." " I see you." "13,14..." "I don't think cell three can hear you." "Floudefl 1516,1118, 19, 20." "Well, are you ready for me, 8612?" "Sure am, Mr. Correctional Officer." "All right, now." "I don't know, 8612." "Them look like hospital corners to you?" "_ HOW you guys doing?" " Good." " Yeah." " Good." " Good." " I mean, we" " How'd it-how'd it go?" " Not bad." " Yeah." " Not too bad." "I mean, we" "We ran 'em pretty ragged." " Really?" " Yeah." "You should've seen 8612's face when I made him remake his bed for the 12th time." "Little fucker looked at me like I just took a shit in his ice cream." "Thought he was gonna burst out crying right then and there." "Yeah, I mean, he might have." "He's a pretty emotional guy." " Nice." " He got pretty upset." "So they just, uh... they let you do it?" "Nobody steps in?" "Well, yeah, I mean, they don't really have a choice, you know?" "Who's gonna step in?" "I mean, you know, you're the boss man." "Hell yeah." "Wow." "They got to do what you say." "Well, I guess we'll have to give 8612 a little extra attention tonight." "Mm-hmm." " Yeah." " Yeah." " Let's go!" " Come on!" " Wake it up!" " Are you fucking kidding me?" "Hello!" "Hey." "You hear that?" " Get out of there." " All right." " Get the fuck out of bed!" " Come on!" " Man." " We just finally got to sleep." " Oh, no." "We slept all day for this." "Hands up." "Against the wall." "Do it." "Hey, give me that." "II" "Now, this is an exercise period." "Each prisoner must complete the following:" "3O jump- Turn around." "3O jumping jacks, 3O sit-ups, '50 push-ups." "It is up to the guards' discretion whether or not a prisoner shall do more." "Well, hell, let's make it 40." "Do 'em now." "II" "Hey, you heard the man." " Fuck!" " Come on!" "Jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups." "Get to it." "Go!" "One, two, three..." "II" "Keep going!" " You only did six, 7258." " I did at least seven." "Yeah, good." "II" "You're finished when I say you're finished, 819." "Get back down." "I did 4O push-ups." "That's what you told me to do." "I did them." "I'm done." "Hey, everybody keeps 90mg, unless 819 decides to join you for an additional 20." "II" "What's it gonna be?" "You gonna do your 20, or are these guys gonna go till they drop?" "II" "It's up to you." "Fine." "Fascist pig." "Two, th ree" " Everybody, stop." " Four.." " Everybody, stop." " Six, seven..." " 819, stand up." " Eight, nine, ten." " 11,12,13,14..." " I said stand up, 819!" "15,16,17,18, 19, 20, sir!" "What did you just call me?" "I think you heard me, you fascist pig." "Open up the hole." "Open up the hole." "The rest of you, return to your cells immediately, have them neat and orderly, and be standing by the foot of your bed in three minutes." "Go now." "Not bad, not bad." "Is this your bunk." "8612?" "Yes, it is, Mr. Correctional Officer." "Why don't you make up your bunk, 8612?" "I did, Mr. Correctional Officer." "Oh, really?" "Well, that's not what I see." "What the fuck, man?" "I just made that!" "What was that?" "What just happened'?" "Fuck." "He- You shit bag." " You" " Take him, take him, take him." "Put him in the fucking hole." " Get in the goddamn hole." " Oh, 819's already in the hole." "Put him in the hole!" "Should I get Zimbardo?" "Just put him in the hole!" "Just do it." "Uh..." "Let's just..." "see what happens here." "You just hit him." "You're not supposed to hit him." "Clean up his bed." "You're not supposed to hit him." "You hear me, 1037?" "Fix his bunk." "II" "You got two minutes." "You hear me?" "II" "Don't talk back." "II" "You fix that nice and neat now." "What happened out there?" "That guy fucking hit me with his nightstick." "He hit you?" "They're not allowed to do that." "Well, I did grab his throat first, but," "I got to tell you, it felt good." "It felt really good." "L-I really don't think that's the way to go." "Bullshit." "If we can convince the others, the odds favor us, man." "It's what they'd do in a real prison." " Wait, what are you" " No talking, 8612!" "Shit and fall in it, motherfucker!" "Think about it." "There's only ever three of them." "There's nine of us." "How many more of us can they throw in here?" "All right, everybody." "Mealtime's over." "I want you to wash your dishes and return to your cells." "Come on." "5486, said mealtime's over." "No, not- not until I get my glasses." "Don't be a pain in the ass." "I said mealtime's over." "Get up." "I said I want my glasses." " Get him up." " All right." " Get up." " No." " No." " Get up." " Get up." " Fuck you." " Hey, hey, hey." " Give me my glasses!" "Let go of the table." "We'll talk about your glasses." "Will you just give me my glasses?" "I get really bad headaches." "I'm not gonna fucking" " Come here!" " Give me my fucking" " Get Zimbardo." " I'll get Zimbardo." "Lock him up." "Everybody's got something, huh?" "Phil, hey, uh, you have to come see this." "When did this happen?" "About ten minutes ago." "Should we step in?" "Phil?" "No." "Let the guards figure it out." "Let's see where it goes." "This is where it goes." "It's only been a day." "Let the guards handle it." "I think this whole thing is taking a turn for the worse." " Hey!" " You see" "Let 'em handle it." "Oh, man." "All right, let's go." " Is it that time already?" " It's that time." "Wait- Wait, what's this all about?" "It's new cell assignments." "Warden's orders." "How was the hole, man?" "It's all right." "At least the guards aren't hassling you in there." "You okay, man?" "I'd just about suck a dick for a cigarette." "You know, I got to say," "I'm very dissatisfied with this whole experience so far." "You know, I just want my pills." "They're vitamins, Gavin." "You're not gonna die." "(He)', guys." "Guys, 8612 and I were talking in the hole and, um..." "I think we've got a plan." "What the fuck?" "Oh, fuck." "Someone open this door immediately or face severe punishment." "Blow it out your ass, Mr. Correctional Officer!" " Fuck!" " Whoo-hoo!" "Way to go, cell number one!" "We're with you all the way!" "Revolution!" "That's right!" "You heard him, motherfuckers!" "Revolution!" "Men, it's your job to keep my prison in order, and right now, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of order out there." "Sir, they've blacked out their doors, and they" "Why am I hearing excuses?" "II" "Do not forget, you have all the authority." "Yes, sir." "And you're stronger than they are." "They're starting to create bonds with each other." "II" "Break 'em up." " Okay?" "Get back in there." " Yes, sir." "Establish some order before it gets out of control." "Yes, sir." "And don't forget, if you need to... call for backup." "II" "Step away from the door." "Fuck you." " Whoa!" " Step away from the door." "Fuck you!" "II" "II" "II" "(m Come mflrget, up!" " Hey!" " Stop struggling!" " They're taking our beds, man!" " Cell three, cell three." "Get against the wall!" "I need some help over here." "Hey, 8612, these guys are model prisoners." "They're literally helping us." "Come on, cell three." "What kind of fucking solidarity is that?" "Shut the fuck up!" "II" "Don't even think about it." "Do not even think about it." "Swill ruin you." "Put your caps back on." "Right now!" "1037, where's your cap?" "It's right there, on the ground in front of you." "Come on, man, put your cap back on." "No way." "Put your cap back on." "No fucking way." "All right." "Help me get him on the ground." "Ah!" "Fuck!" "Give me that rope!" "Hey, what are you doing to him?" "You can't fucking do that!" " That's fuck" " Hey, shut the fuck up!" " Shut up!" " Ah." "Ah." " Stop!" " Get off of me!" " Stop talking." " Get off of me!" "Stop!" "Tie him up." "Tie him up good." "How do you like that, huh?" "Stop!" "Stop moving!" "Cell two, as you can see, your correctional staff has prepared a delicious, nutritious, and very special meal for the wonderful prisoners of cell three in appreciation of their good conduct this afternoon." "You've been model prisoners, boys." "Well done." "Don't eat that shit." "Hands off the bars, 8612." "I'm not gonna tell you again." "What the fuck is wrong with you?" "II" "II" "Dan." "II" "Okay, one thing, though- if only one of us gets away, we've got to send help to bust the other guys out." "Deal?" "Yeah." "Yeah, deal." "Yeah." "II" "Coast is clear." "II" "Um..." "I think that 8612's definitely been a little, um... testy." "Well, that's the word you're gonna use?" "Well, let's go back and look at his questionnaire." " Who's got him'?" " I don't-l don't" " I think" "f."" "Hey!" "Hey!" "Hey!" "No, no, no, no." "We can't wait for this, man." "Here." "Quick." "II" "Fuck, fuck, fuck." "All the doors are locked!" "We got to go, man." "They're coming." "How the fuck do we get out of here, man?" "I don't even know where we are." "Hey!" "What are you doing?" "I'm gonna need you to" "Order you to get back in your cells." "Fuck you, pig!" "The prisoners are escaping!" "Uh, okay." "The exit!" "Let's go!" "II" "Oh, what the" "Yeah, go back!" "Go back!" "Oh, no." "No." " Against the wall." " Against the wall." " Shut up!" "II" " Fucker, get in there." " Calm down, man." " Fuck you!" " Jesus Christ." "Shut your fucking mouth!" "You shut your fucking mouth!" "Shut your fucking mouth." " I'm tired of this shit!" " You can't do this to us!" "You're messing with" "You can't fucking do this to us!" "Stop!" "stop!" "Stop!" " You can't do this to us!" " All right!" " Okay, okay!" "Stop!" " All right!" "Stop!" "8612, you have proven to be a singular and terrible influence to all of your prisoners around you." "You will stay in the hole until further notice." "You will remain here, and you will remain silent until we fix the door to your cell." "Is that understood?" "Yes, Mr. Correctional..." " Yes, Mr. Correctional Officer." " Good." "Guys, wake up." "Guys, get up." "Guys, wake up!" "Guys, get up!" "Well, well, well, look at you three, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed." "You know, you boys are in for a whole heap of trouble, but if you clear this here, uh, barricade," "I can spare you a shit storm the likes of which you never seen." "Don't let them in." "Come on." "Well, that's how he wants it." "Knock it down, boys." "All right, now, up against the wall." "I leave all of y'all alone for less than a day, and look what happens." "You lose your beds, try to escape." "What is so goddamn wrong with all of y'all, huh?" "II" "This behavior will not be tolerated." "And you, look at yourself." "You're naked." "Why in God's name are you naked, boy?" "Um, because" "You know what?" "Never mind." "I don't even care." "Get him back his uniform, will you, boss?" "He'll catch a cold." "GUYS, guys," "I really need-l need to speak to a doctor or..." "Or the warden or somebody." " Quiet, 8612." "Come on, man!" "Don't do that!" "It hurts my ears!" "Maybe you'll think about that next time you get yourself put in the hole." "All right, you can fuck off, man!" "II" "Now, because lam not nearly as cruel as my fellow colleagues on the day shift, your blankets will be returned to y'all and your dresses will be repaired." "However, should you feel the need to defecate or urinate, please feel free to do so in the fine buckets provided by your correctional staff." "Thafd be us." "II" "Thank you." "Guys, seriously, y-y-you don't know." "I got to g0'" "I-to a doctor." "Anything!" "I don't know." "I'm fucked up!" "I feel so fucked up inside!" "I mean, God!" "I mean, Jesus Christ!" "I'm burning up inside!" "Don't you know?" " Please, please!" "Please, please, please, please!" "Let me out of here!" "I want out!" "I want out now!" "II" "He could be faking it." "Should we deny his request?" "Let's bring him to the old classroom upstairs." "II" "So, prisoner 8612," "I understand you're not feeling well." "Um, yeah." "Yeah, I just, uh..." "I've had this really bad headache all day, and, um, a couple hours ago, lstarted feeling my stomach being all- being all knotted up." "And what is it you'd like for us to do about that?" "Well, I just" "I figured I ought to, you know, g-get out and go- go see a doctor..." "Just to be sure." "Surely you're not suggesting that we release you from prison for a stomachache." "Look, man," "I just really don't feel well, and it would be really nice" "Bullshit!" "100% Grade A bullshit." "This boy's not sick." "This boy is weak." "All right, listen, doc." "You don't know what it's like down there." "What did you say?" "What did you just say to me?" "Hmm?" "I said, "You don't know what it's like down there."" "San Quentin, boy, 17 years of hard time." "Do you really think you can tell me what it's like on the inside?" "Uh, no." "No." "L, uh- No, I guess not." "You damn right you guess not." "Look me in my eye when I'm talking to you." "You're a wimp, 8612." "They'd knock your goddamn teeth out and pass you around like candy." "So why don't you tell us what the real problem is?" "Uh, all right." "It's the guards, man." "I mean, I really think the guards have gone a little bit overboard." "From what I've seen, I'd say you brought that on yourself." "Look, I'd just really like to get out of here, okay?" "You know that you're the most rebellious one in here." "It's pretty impressive." "Maybe if you spent a little less time fighting, you wouldn't be so tired." "Yeah, but what am I supposed to do, just" "Don't interrupt me." "I'm sorry, sir." "Come on." "Look at you." "You telling me you can't handle, what, some push-ups, some jumping jacks, guys calling you names?" "Come on." "Tell you what, I'll talk to the guards and tell them to go easy on you, all right?" "W-would you do that?" "Phil, I think we're done here." "Take him away." "Wait!" "Wait!" "Wait, wait, wait, wait!" "No, no, no, no!" "I'm not done here!" "No, no, no." "I want to finish the conversation." "I don't want to do this." "II" "Hey, you're not really gonna tell them to take it easy on him, are you?" "Oh, my God." "Of course not." "Are you kidding me?" "He was faking it, anyway." "I can tell." "There's no way he's getting out of here right now." "During meals and whenever they are in the prison yard." "Oh, hello, 8612." "Welcome back." "Get your ass back in line, boy." "As I was saying, prisoners must remain silent during rest periods, after lights out, during meals, and outside the prison yard." " Rule number two..." " What happened?" "Prisoners must eat at meal times..." "I couldn't get out." "What do you mean, you couldn't get out of the contract?" "Hey!" "No talking on the line, you two." " Contract don't mean shit." " Rule number three." "I mean I couldn't get out." "I mean they wouldn't let me out." "This is all real." "This is all real." "This is all real." "This is all real." "This isn't a fucking experiment." "This is all real." "They won't let you go." "They won't let us leave." "You understand?" "This is real." "This isn't a fucking experiment." "Don't fucking touch me, man!" " Just get back in line here." " I mean it!" " Come here." " No!" "No!" "Let go of me!" "No!" "You motherfuckers!" "You motherfuckers!" "You motherfuckers!" "You fascist motherfuckers!" "I want to see the warden!" "You understand me?" "You have no right to fuck with my head!" "You have no right!" "PH smash this camera!" "I'll beat up your fucking guards!" "I want out, and I want out right now!" "You're messing with my head, man." "My head!" "You have no right to fuck with my head!" "Okay, what is it?" "Uh..." "We-we hit a breaking point last night, and, um, 8612 is gone." "We let him go." "Well- You let him go?" "Well, the contract explicitly says that" "Do you understand how much time and energy, not to- not to mention money, has been spent on this experiment?" "I leave for one shift, and you have tampered with the integrity of the entire enterprise." "Phil, we were following protocol." "The kid was in a serious crisis." "He was hysterical." "He was threatening to harm himself and" "I'm the superintendent of this facility." "I make that decision." "Nobody else." "It was late." "Everything was escalating really quickly." "I 'lfvili" "Did you even stop to think, for one second, if 8612, just like Jesse said yesterday, was bullshitting you?" "He wanted a lawyer." "II" "What is it with these lawyers?" "Oh, my God." "I see." "I see." "Well, then, why did 8612 lose it?" "What did we miss in the screening process?" "I mean, we missed something." "We were all there." "We all screened him." "He was only in there for two days." "Yeah, but without any sunlight and sleep, your sense of time has been totally altered." "His only weakness was that he resisted." "He didn't bend, so he broke." "No, he broke because he couldn't control the other prisoners." "8612 just wanted control." "Even as a prisoner with essentially no rights?" "No, Jesse's right about that." "8612 was fine while other people were serving him." "So what?" "You think if the other prisoners had stuck with him, then, what, John Wayne would have lost?" "Man, John Wayne can't lose." "He served the system." "8612 served himself." "I'm sorry." "I don't buy any of this." "No, I don't imagine you would." "II" "This is bullshit." "You're basing your conclusions off your own experience- on real felons in a real prison." "So this is not a prison?" "This is a simulated prison." "This is 18 college boys who's never been punched in the fucking face." "That's what this is." "I think you guys are both missing the point." " He missing the point." " I'm not missing anything." "You missing something." "No, here's the point." "The only thing that separates those two was a coin flip." "All right, what steps are being taken to replace 8612?" "Well, none, as of yet." " We got" " Kyle, come on." "Start notifying the alternates immediately, okay?" "Okay." "And find out which ones can start tomorrow." "Got it." "Until then, what do you want me to tell the prisoners?" "Tell them 8612 has been taken to maximum security." "Get some more fear into them." "As you know, today is visiting day." "For the sake of your friends and family," "I want this place made presentable." "That means cleaning up the mess you've made, as well as cleaning up yourselves." "Out of respect for your loved ones," "I want you to put on the outward appearance of self-dignity, confidence, love, happiness, even if you have none." "You never had it this good, have you, 2093?" "No, I haven't, Mr. Correctional Officer." "So you never want to go home, huh?" "I don't have a home, Mr. Correctional Officer." "What was that?" "I don't have a home." "Can't afford one after tuition." "Been living in my car all this summer." "Y'all, uh, y'all see how good you got it now, don't you, huh?" "Yes, Mr. Correctional Officer." "Well, you best remember that when you're talking to your visitors." "Wait." "Hey, um, you guys should hear this." "So this was taken a couple of hours ago from the mic in cell two." "I was talking to the big guard, and he told me that they had him locked up in maximum security." "No, that's bullshit, man." "I'm telling you, he's at home." "That breakdown was some jive acting." " He'll be back." " What makes you say that?" "Because we had a deaf." "When we tried to escape, he said if either of us make it out, that-that We'd come back and then bust the rest of the guys out." "Hey, Phil." "Phil, it's time." "The, uh-the visitors are here." "II" "II" "So..." "How are you holding up?" "I'm-l'm okay." "You know, it's actually not so bad if you just cooperate." "But are you..." "Cooperating?" "II" "You're cooperating, right?" "Ever since I was stripped down, bare naked, I have been." "II" "II" "Yeah, 'cause, see, I got most of the rules memorized, except for the- I guess, the new ones we get at the guards' discretion." "Tell him the most important rule, 4325." "The most important rule is always obey the guards," "Mr. Correctional Officer." "Amen to that." "Can they tell you to do anything?" "Yeah." "What right do they have to do that?" "Well, the guards run the prison." "Well, aren't there certain rights that they have to respect, I mean" "Well, prisoners have no rights." "Well, I think maybe they do." "Not in this prison." "II" "H-how's the food?" "Are they feeding you well?" "Yeah, three meals a day." "You look exhausted." "He looks fine." "Probablyjusta little too much time in the hole." "W-whafs the hole?" "I don't think you're supposed to talk about the hole." "Okay." "If something isn't right, you can let us know." "You know that." "No." "I-l" "Everything's fine." "Are you sure?" "Yeah, of course." "Okay." "We miss you." "I miss you too." "II" "Drive safe." "Thank you." "Uh, Mr. Zimbardo, we don't mean to make any trouble, but we're just a bit concerned about our son." "Okay." "Well, what- what- what seems to be the problem?" "Honestly, he looks like he hasn't slept in a week." "Hmm." "Is there anything wrong with your boy?" "Does he- does he sleep well?" "Normally, yes." "L-I-that's what has me so concerned." "You know what?" "We are recreating a prison environment here, and one of the ways that we do that is by instituting regular counts." "Some of those counts take place very late at night." "So that may be it." "Okay." "To be honest, Mrs. Mitchell, we're all very tired, but everybody else seems to be handling it pretty well, and..." "I don't know." "Your son seems to be a pretty tough kid." "Do you think he can handle it?" "Of course, he can." "He is a tough kid." "My wife's just being overprotective." " It's her nature." " No, I understand." "We've wasted enough of the man's time." "Okay." "Thank you, Mr. Zimbardo." "You're welcome." "It's Doctor." "Doctor." ". hey- . OKQY" "I think we're gonna double up on security tonight." "Right?" "Uh..." "Guys, 8612." "You heard the tape." "He wants to come back, break the other prisoners out, okay?" "Right, he wants to play a little cat and mouse game, that's fine." "I'll play a little cat and mouse game with him, but I'm not gonna let him screw up our work." "I'm gonna personally sit guard myself tonight." "Phil, you know, we actually werejust talking- that it might be a good idea for you to get some rest tonight." "No, a good idea right now is to keep our prison safe." "I expect you guys to be a little bit sharper than this, okay?" "Are we on the same page?" "Can we be on the same page?" " Sure." " Yeah." "Right?" "All right." "Phil?" "Yes." "Hi, Jim." "What are you- What are you doing down here?" "Picking up some summer reading." "And you?" "It's quite the late hour." "I'm actually waiting for one of my subjects to arrive." " Ah, your prison study." " Mm." "I saw some of your boys earlier in the hallway." "It's a frightful sight." "Just following protocol." "Mm." "Well, I would love to- to sit and chat with you, Jim, but I'm actually in the middle of it right now." "Oh." "Certainly." " We'll catch up later." " Yes." "Something I'm curious about, Philip." "What's the independent variable in your study?" "Fm sorry'?" "Have you introduced a variable that might influence your outcome?" "This is an experiment, right?" "Not just a simulation." "Are you challenging me, Jim?" "No, I'm not challenging." "I just" "Well, while I would love to sit here and explain my prison to you, lactually have more pressing matters than whether or not you understand the academics of my work." "Sorry to bother you." "I'll see you again when the semester begins." ". HEY- . HEY" "Looks like 8612 is a no-show for tonight." "Let's get Kyle and Vogel and meet in the conference room." "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Kyle's gone." "Gone?" "What the fuck do you mean, gone?" "I mean, gone, gone." "He, uh-he had a death in the family." "Jesus Christ." "I mean, I'm sorry, but, fuck, this could not have come at a worse time." "He didn't come." "It's been days since he got out, and he didn't come." "Hasn't even been a day yet." "That's not true." "It's been at least two." "No." "No way." "Oh, fuck." "How are we even supposed to know?" "He told us he would come get us." "Yeah, well, he also started to think that all this was real." "Isn't it?" "Hey, man." "Hey." "You got to pull it together, all right?" "We've only got another week in here." "Another week?" "We're not even gonna last another night." "They've taken our clothes;" "they've taken our beds." "They don't even do that in real prisons." "They do." "All right." "Come on." "Mealtime." "Let's go." "Come on." "Let's go." "Come on." "Come on, 819." "It's mealtime." "Do we have a problem here?" "I want to see a doctor." "See if you can find one in there." "II" "II" "Ah!" "What's going on in there?" "II" "Ah!" "What's your name, son?" "I'm 4325, sir." "So how are you holding up?" "Not too bad, considering, sir." "Um, sorry, Father." "What are you doing here?" "I'm here to provide guidance and counsel to the prisoners in this jail." "So what measures are you taking to get out of prison?" "I'm not... entirely sure if I understand the question." "Has bail been set in your case yet?" "If it has, sir, I'm unaware of it." "All right, what about counsel?" "Do you have a lawyer?" "No." "I wasn't aware that I was, um, supposed to..." "Do I need a lawyer?" "Well, son, just how do you suppose you're ever going to get out of here without one?" "Wha" "VVhy-why would I need a lawyer for an experiment'?" "Well, I don't know what experiment you're referring to, but you've got to take control of your situation here, son." "Take control of your life." "Uh..." "Come on, 819, you're the last one up, buddy." "Yeah, sit down." "All right, let's start with your name, son." "What's your name?" "8-819'?" "It's not a trick question, son." "It's 819." "And what steps are you taking to secure your release?" "I'm sorry." "What-what steps am I- am I what?" "It's a simple question, son." "I don't know why you're asking me this." "I don't know what any of this means." "I didn't know I had to take steps to secure my release." "I don't know what you're talking about!" "Calm down, son." "Have you spoken to your lawyer?" "MY lawyer'?" "I have an uncle who's a lawyer." "I could call him, but I don't" "That sounds like a good start." "All right, all right, just calm down." "Every-everything's gonna be fine." " Take a deep breath." " No, look, I'm sorry, but" "Can I just see a doctor or call my parents?" "I just need a little help right now, and I" "Please, can I just see a doctor or something?" "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey" "Hey, everything's gonna be all right." "Listen, what I'm gonna do is, we're gonna clear out of this room, get a nice meal brought in here." "If you're still feeling bad this afternoon, we'll call a doctor, okay?" "Okay, so I'm assuming that you've all seen and heard the mess that your fellow prisoner has created for us this afternoon." "So I want you all to say now, after me," ""Prisoner 819 did a bad thing."" "Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." "Okay, that's great, but I said loudly enough so that he can hear you." "2O times." "Let's go." "Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." "Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." "Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." "Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." "Well, uh, thanks again, Father." "I think it really did make a difference." " It's my pleasure." " Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." "What you're doing here, it's a good thing." "Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." "It'll teach these boys of privilege what a prison is." "They should know." "I couldn't agree with you more." "Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." "Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." "Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." "Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." "Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." "Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." "Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." "Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." "Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." "Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." "Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." "Hey, Phil." "I'm really worried about 819." " He's calling a lawyer." " Who?" "The priest." "I don't trust that man." "They can shut this whole place down." "I don't think so." "He wasn't here ten minutes, and he became part of the experiment." "Even if he did call a lawyer, why should that be any different?" "Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." "No!" " Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." " No, I didn't!" " Prisoner 819 did a bad thing." " No!" "Just stay here." "Let me handle this." "Hey, Peter?" "They think I'm a bad prisoner, but I'm not, I swear I'm not." "(Hey." "He)'" "You're not even a prisoner at all." "And that's not a prison." "It's a hallway..." "With a bunch of empty offices in the basement of Jordan Hall." "You're free to go." "Okay?" "All you have to do is sign a couple of release papers." "All right?" "Jesus, Phil, why did you do that?" "Hey, he was a lost cause." "I had to say something." "All this talk about lawyers" "I can't afford any more liabilities." "I'm not letting anything get in the way of the progress that we made" "I know." "I understand that." "And will you make sure that he takes him to Student Health and gets him checked out?" "Yeah." "Hey, did you find a replacement for 8612'?" "I'm trying." "It's not that easy." "There's not that many people left on campus." "Well, get on it!" "II" "Phil?" " Oh, ah." " Hi." "Hi." "Oh." "Oh, I'm so glad you came." "So this is it?" "Well, it's quiet right now, but it-it has been truly extraordinary the way these boys have adapted." "It's significant." "It'll get better later tonight." "Well, you're gonna have me around for a while." "I heard about Kyle." "So I'm volunteering to take his place on the parole board." "That's fantastic." "Now you'll get to see what it's really like." "Like a chimp." "And then the chimp raped the woman." " And she had a baby that" " You're a liar, man." "No, no, I swear." "I swear." "Literally, every story you tell is a bullshit lie." "I'm fucking serious." "And the baby was half chimp and half human." "It had, like, sideburns and shit, like those." " I'm fucking serious." "9uy eat 1 up" "No thank you, Mr. Correctional Officer." "Well, that is not an option, 416." "Well, I'm sorry you think that, sir." "You're sorry" "Bring me his plate." "How about you pick up those sausages, boy?" "Now, you will not leave this closet until those sausages are in your belly." "Got me?" "I believe the correctional staff has convinced me of my many weaknesses." "Despite my horrible disrespect for them, the staff has treated me well." "I now know that every member of the correctional staff is only interested in the well-being of the prisoners." "And I believe that because of their goodness," "I have been rehabilitated and transformed into a better human being." "On a personal note, the prisoner adds," "I will turn 23 on Monday." "This being my last year at Stanford," "I would like to be paroled so that I may spend one more birthday with my old friends." "Sincerely, 1037." "From your request, it sounds like you're very happy with your setup here." "Why do you want parole?" "Well, as I stated in the request, it's my 23rd birthday on" "Don't you think the prison staff is capable of giving you a birthday party?" "Yes." "But for sentimental reasons, I would rather spend" "You should have thought about that before you broke the law." "Sir?" "Why are you in prison, 1037?" "I was charged with assault with a deadly weapon." "How do you plead?" "Not guilty." "Not guilty?" "Not guilty?" "So you're saying that the police officers who arrested you didn't know what they were doing, that they- that there was a mistake, that there was some confusion, that there" " No, sir." " I'm not done speaking." "They're lying, is that what your saying?" "They're lying?" "Well, I haven't seen any evidence, but I'm sure it's probably good if they picked me up for it." "Then you admit there is some merit to the charges against you." "Yes." "There probably is some merit in what they're saying." "Yes." "You do recognize that prisons are for people who break rules, and you put your freedom in jeopardy doing exactly which you did." "Yes, and I realize that now, and I" "I find it hard to take the word of a young man with such a checkered history with the law." "What kind of citizen do you think you can be with these kinds of charges?" "I don't understand the question, sir." " I'm sorry." " Oh, you don't understand." "1965, you were picked up and later released on suspicion of car theft." "1969, you were picked up and later released for lack of evidence at a place where narcotics were found." "1970, you were arrested for passing bad checks." "Now, you tell us that you can make it out there, but your behavior don't reflect it, nor do your behavior reflect it here." "Now, I think that you're destined to be prison scum." "I understand that, sir." "You believe in God?" "Yes, sir, I do." "Why is that?" "Well, because that's just what I was taught, and" "You were also taught that assault is against the law." "Or do you think it's legitimate to go around hurting people?" "No, sir." "I do not." "But you stated in your own handwriting," ""My horrible disrespect for them."" "Horrible... disrespect." "That's hurtful, is it not?" "1037, is it not?" "Yes, sir, it is." "And what do you think would happen if everybody in this nation disrespected everyone else's person, huh?" "I don't know." "I really don't know." "You sicken me." "1037, you sicken me." "And to be honest," "I wouldn't parole you if you were the last man here." "You are the least likely candidate for parole that we've seen." "Now, how do you feel about that?" "Well, I think that you're entitled to your opinion." "Well, my opinion means something in this particular place." "I think we've heard enough." "You can take him away." "I have one more question for you, 1037." "Since you've been here, you've been performing your duties and accruing a certain salary?" "Tell me, would you forfeit your pay in exchange for parole?" "Yes, ma'am, I would, without a doubt." "II" "Do we let anyone go?" "Well, 1037 looks ready to break." "Yeah, but is that a reason to parole a man?" "If we let somebody go, they're all gonna think they can just talk their way out of here." "II" "Am I right, Jesse?" "II" "I was just trying to do it exactly how I was treated." "Completely... reenact what they did- their feelings, their attitudes, their indifference." "They..." "II" "II" "What are" "Jesse, wait." "Hey, where you going?" "You know what?" "It was an experiment, and I went along with it, but I really hate myself right now." "You did nothing wrong." "That was just protocol." "Protocol?" "Back in that room, I became everything I've hated for so long, and I let it happen." "And I enjoyed it." "You can't possibly understand how it makes me feel." "Hey." "No." "II" "I need you to stay." "Parole 1037 for me, please." "II" "Sure." "Thank you." "Phil" "Oh, no, no." "Don't, don't." "What is happening here, Mike?" "Is this thing over?" "We have become part of this experiment, whether we like it or not, and frankly, I don't even think that we can call this an experiment anymore." "It's a demonstration, and... part of me thinks that we already have the results that we were looking for." " Mike" " No, I" "I wanted to say that to you the last day or two, but I was afraid to question you." "You know, I suppose that if I didn't admire you so much, um..." "I" "I don't know." "And now?" "After seeing what this place has done to us, to 1037, to 8612, to Jesse, now I realize that you have to see this through." "I think, uh..." " This could be great." " Yeah." "I had no idea it would turn out this way." "But..." "This is important..." "To me." "But the results are important." "They are." "Parole him." "Good evening, gentlemen." "How about we make this one a night to remember?" "You mean to tell me that you spent all day long in that stinking hole because you wouldn't eat two lousy, little sausages?" "God damn, boy." "Well, maybe you want us to take them sausages and cram 'em up your ass, huh?" "Bet you like that, 416, won't you?" "Just 'cause you have no friends doesn't mean you have to make everyone else suffer, 416." "New guy, look at me." "There you go." "The hell is your problem, boy, huh?" "My problem is that the guards and the people running this experiment are not treating the prisoners like human beings." "The hell has that got to do with sausages, huh?" "The guards and the experimenters are clearly in" "You address me as Mr. Correctional Officer." "Mr. Correctional Officer, the guard and the experimenters are clearly in violation of the rules set up for this experiment, and I refuse to endorse an unfair system." "What did you expect, boy?" "Huh?" "What the fuck did you expect?" "Did you expect this to be a fucking nursery school?" "Huh?" "Is that what you thought this was gonna be?" "You thought you were gonna get some playtime in the yard, boy?" "You thought you could go around breaking the law and wind up in a fucking nursery school?" "You listen to me, 416!" "You ain't going nowhere but this fucking hole until you eat those fucking sausages!" "Do you fucking hear me, boy?" "Now, trust that your fellow prisoner will not stick his wee-wee in your asshole as you march to the restroom to relieve yourselves." "Go on, now." "March." "Right, left, right." "You know how it's done." "Come on, you miserable sons of bitches." "It's time to shit and piss." "That means- Go, go on." "II" "It's incredible, isn't it?" "II" "II" "Hey, hey." "Wait just a- Will you wait a second, please?" "What is it?" "What is wrong?" "What's wrong?" "You're a psychologist, for Christ sake, and you're asking me, "What's wrong?"" "You're missing the bigger picture." "This study has the potential to help people." "Yes, felons, maybe, but those are kids, kids who have never committed a crime in their lives." "Kids who volunteered, kids who are being paid money, kids who can leave whenever they want to" "They tried." "Every single one of them came to your parole board and all but begged, and I was sitting there, going," ""What's wrong with these kids?" ""Why don't they just quit?" ""What are they trying to prove?" "What are they so afraid of?"" "It's you." "They are afraid of you." "That is absolute nonsense." "You're not looking at this like a psychologist." "No, I'm a human being, Phil." "I have empathy for other human beings." "Well, you're not gonna cut it in this field if you're gonna get so emotional over some basic procedure." "Hey." "Hey, look." "You... of all people," "I thought would understand what I have tapped into in my prison." "Your prison?" "Oh, my God." "You are so in over your head." "Those are not prisoners." "Those are not subjects." "They're not students." "Those are boys, Phil." "Those are boys, and you are harming them." "You need to fix this..." "HOW." "Wow." "Are you finished?" "II" "Did I see you smile, 2093?" "I don't think so, Mr. Correctional Officer." "What, you didn't think it was funny?" "I think that it could be funny, Mr. Correctional Officer." "Then why didn't you smile?" "Because I am not supposed to smile during" "That's right!" "II" "They're getting it now." "5704, what the hell are you doing with that chair over your head, boy?" "I don't know, Mr. Correctional Officer" "Well, if you don't know, put it on down." "You standing there, wasting all your energy." "You like it in there, 416?" "Not at all, Mr. Correctional Officer." "Tough shit." "II 7258, since you already have your hands over your head, why don't you play Frankenstein?" "2093 can play the Bride of Frankenstein." "7258, stand here." "Walk over like Frankenstein and say that you love 2093." "That's not how Frankenstein walks." "Have you seen Frankenstein, 7258?" "Yes, Mr. Correctional Officer." "So walk like fucking Frankenstein." "Go on." "I love you, 2093" "Get close." "Boy, you better get a whole lot closer than that." "Get close." "Yeah, there you go." "I love you, 2093." "Mm-hmm." "Get the fuck back in line." "Quit crying like a lift/e bitch." "Why are you such an ass-licker, 2093, huh?" "I don't know, Mr. Correctional Officer." "You don't know." "Why is it that you try to be obedient so much?" "It's in my nature to be obedient," "Mr. Correctional Officer." "It's a fucking embarrassment how obedient this guy is." "You little brownnose, kiss-ass homeless boy, always doing what you're told." "What if I told you to get down on the floor and fuck the floor, huh?" "What would you do then?" "I would tell you that I didn't know how," "Mr. Correctional Officer." "Uh-huh." "Don't you go anywhere, okay?" "Let's wake up our friend here." "Now, I want y'all to take a really good look at this man, because this man here did not eat his sausages." "Now, 2093, come on over here." "Tell 416 you're gonna kick his ass." "I'm sorry, sir, but I object." "And just what do you object to?" "I object to the word that you used, Mr. Correctional Officer." "The fuck word are you talking about, boy?" "I'm sorry, sir." "I cannot say the word." "Ass." "He doesn't want to say "ass."" "Well, I gave you an order." "Now you get over there and tell him right now." "I'm sorry, sir." "I'm unable to do that." "Well, well, well, well, well." "Our little Mr. Obediency has a sore spot for bad little words." "Just tell him that you'll kick him in the end." "Yes, Mr. Correctional Officer." "Eat your sausages, 416, or I will kick you in the end." "There you go." "He said it." "No, he said it, but did you mean it, 2093, huh?" "Yes." "No." "No, no, I'm sorry." "No, I did not." "I didn't mean it." "So why are you lying?" "I said what Mr. Correctional Officer told me to say, sir." "That's bullshit." "He didn't tell you to lie, now, did he?" "Nobody wants any lying in here, 2093." "Okay?" "Why is it that ah' of y'all are a big load of liars, huh?" "Huh?" " I don't know." " Huh." "I guess we're just a bunch of bastards," "Mr. Correctional Officer." "Uh-huh." "I like that." "Come on out here." "So are you a bastard, too, 2093?" "If you say so, Mr. Correctional Officer." "I say so- I want to hear you say it." "I'm sorry, sir." "I object to the use of profanity, and I will not say it." "You said couldn't say that about another human being, 2093?" "Can you say it to yourself?" "_ Hmm?" " Uh'?" "I wouldn't think of saying it to myself because then I would be saying that I would" "That you'd be a bastard." " Right?" " No, sir." " Yes, you would." " Yes." "Yes." "What would you be?" "Would you be a bastard?" "You'd be saying nasty things about your mother, that's what you'd be doing." "Yes, Mr. Correctional Officer." "Why the hell won't you say it?" "Because I do not use any profane language," "Mr. Correctional Officer" "Are you a fucking saint?" "It's real easy." "Just tell me what you are." "I am whatever you wish me to be, Mr. Correctional Officer." "Oh!" "Well, you know what?" "If you won't say it" "If you won't say that you're a bastard, you want to know something, 2093?" "Yes, Mr. Correctional Officer." "You just proved my point." "You a bastard." "You a bastard either way." "Isn't that right?" "If you say so, Mr. Correctional" "I do say so!" "I want to hear you say it, god damn it!" "I'm sorry." "I won't say it." "Boys," "I'm sure you want to get a real good night's sleep tonight." "Am I right?" "Yes, Mr. Correctional Officer." "Well, I think we're gonna have to wait." "Let 2093 think about just what a bastard he really is, and then maybe he'll tell the rest of us that he thinks so." "May I have a cigarette, please?" "II" "At this rate, we gonna be here all goddamn night." "And I love it." "II" "I think you're perfectly accurate in your condemnation of me, Mr. Correctional Officer." "II" "Oh, I know that." "II" "But I shouldn't say the word." "II" "Say what word?" "II" "I shall not say with any meaning the word "bastard."" "Holy shit." "II" "He said it." "Well, glory be." "II" "I do believe he did." "I think we got a winner." "Chicken dinner." "We might even get to bed early, boys." "Who knows?" "Huh?" "II" "Sweet relief." "Now, uh... 2093, just for swearing, why don't you get on the floor and give me ten push-ups?" "Thank you, Mr. Correctional Officer." "You're welcome, boy." "II" "One, two..." " Three..." " Louder." "Four, five..." " Stop." " Six." "Those ain't no push-ups." "Start over." "One, two, three- 5704, you come over here." "Six, seven..." "You can sit on his back." " Nine." " Stop." "Sit on his back." "Keep going, 2093." "'One!" "'." "You know what?" "4325, you come over here too." "That's it." "Sit on his back." "There you go." "Now do a push-up, 2093, and do not help him!" "II one!" "II" "Come on." "Get back against the wall." "II" "Big, tough guy, huh?" "Can't even do one push-up." "Yeah." "II" "II" "Okay?" "Now, Mr. 2093 here says he ain't know how to fuck." "II" "We gonna show you." "II" "Now, I want my female camels..." " Line up." " To line up in the middle." "Shoulder to shoulder, right beside one another." " That's it." "Right here." " Like so." "That's right." "And I want my male camels to get behind the female camels." " Bend down." "Bend down." " That's right." "Come on, boys." " Get down." " What you doing, boy?" "Get on over here." "And y'all gonna do like the male camels do to the female camels, and y'all gonna hump them." "2093, pay attention." "You could afford to learn athing or two." " Come on." " Now have at it, boys." "Went too deep." "Come on." "Got a lot of work to do now." "Get inside her." "She's waiting for you." "There." " Keep humping." " Come on, that's it." "Yeah, that's right." "Nice and gentle with that camel, yeah." "Good, keep her in that low back end." "That's it." "Open up that way." "Keep humping." "It's okay." "This one's gonna shed a few" "You know, uh, why don't you, uh, serenade your fellow inmates to keep them in the mood'?" "That's good." "Come on." "What would you like me to sing, Mr. Correctional Officer?" "Right here." "I Amazing grace I" " I How sweet the sound I" "Come on." "Get humping!" " I That saved I" " Good." "Get on down there." "Get in there." "Put your hand on there." " I A wretch I" " Put your hand on the hip." " That's right." " I Like me I" "Yeah." "Oh, whoa." "This one's gonna be bitching if you're bucking this one." "Oh, yeah, she bucking back on your dick; that's good." "I I once was lost I" "I But now I'm found I" "Bend down, or I'll fuck you myself." "Bend down." "Don't cum yet." " I Was blind I" " Don't cum." " I But now I" " Right, there it is." "You gonna cum." " Right, get right back..." " I I see I" "That feel nice, 2093?" "AH right, faggots, stop!" "Y'all are disgusting." "Get back in line." "Line up." "Come on, get back in line." "Come on." "Get in there." "Now I Want all y'all to come up to 416 and thank him." "Thank you, 416, for singing such a pretty song to us." "Thank you, 416." "Oh, I think you can do better than that." " Thank you, 416!" " There you go." "Thank you, 416." "Oh, I think you can say it louder than that." "Thank you, 416!" "Yeah, say it like you mean it now." "Thank you, 416." "From the bottom of your heart now." " Thank you, 416." " Oh, yeah." "Thank you, 416!" "Thank you, 416." "II" "Thank you, 416." "Thank you, 416." " Hey." " Thank you, 416." "Thank you, 416." "Hey." "Thank you, 416." "Hey!" "This experiment is..." "Over." "Did you hear what I said?" "This exper" "This experiment is terminated from this point on." "You" "The Stanford County Jail is now closed." "You're all free to leave." "So does this mean we're not getting paid for the full two weeks?" "I said to myself at the beginning of the first day," ""This could be a very long, very boring experiment."" "Uh, it wasn't conceivable." "There was just no strong sense of precedent for how far this thing could go." "II" "It's easy for you to say," ""Oh, I wouldn't have acted that way."" "But you don't know." "That's-that's the truth." "You don't know." "And now, I know what I'm capable of, and it hurts." "That..." "I don't know-l don't know how else to say it, but it does hurt me to know that." "II" "You know, and I knew right away it was wrong, and I was the only one that could see it." "You know, anyone could see it except for these guys." "You know, you give them the uniform with the glasses and the nightstick, and they simply can't be the same person as if they wore street clothes." "Meanwhile, Pmjust a number in a dress." "That's the thing;" "I wasn't a prisoner in an experiment." "I was their prisoner." "I really felt that I was losing my identity, that this person that I call Tom was disappearing." "II" "And it was a prison to me." "It still is a prison to me." "You know, I don't look at it as an experiment or a simulation at all." "It was a prison that was run by psychologists instead of by the state." "The consensus is that they did suffer." "II" "But..." "I think that they also learned a great deal about themselves and about human nature." "And I think most of them would say that in hindsight it was a very valuable experience." "This whole experience harms me, and I mean "harms" in the present tense." " It harms me." " How did it harm you?" "Or how does it harm you?" "Is it just to think that people can be like that'?" "Yeah." "And I know you're a nice guy." "You know?" "Well, you don't know that." "No, I do." "I do know that you're a nice guy." "Then why do you hate me?" "Because I know what you can turn into." "If you were in my position, what would you have done?" "I don't know." "I don't know." "I can't tell you that." " I wasn't." " Hmm." "I don't think I would have been as, uh..." "I don't believe I would have been as inventive as you." "I don't think I would have applied as much imagination to what I was doing." "You understand?" "Yes." "I understand." "I would have been a guard." "I don't think it would have been such a masterpiece." "Personally, I-l don't see where it was really harmful." "It was degrading, but that was part of my particular little experiment that" "Oh, your particular little experiments?" " Well, why" " Yeah." "Yeah." "Why don't you tell us about those?" "Yes, I was running experiments of my own." "Well, tell me about these little experiments." " I'm curious." " Okay." "I wanted to see just what kind of verbal abuse people can take before they start objecting, before they start lashing back." "And it really surprised" "It really surprised me that nobody said anything to stop me." "Nobody said, "Come on, man." "You" ""You can't say those things to me." "Those things are sick." Nobody said that." "And nobody questioned my authority at all." "And it really shocked me." "L-I started to get..." "I started to abuse people so much." "I started to get so profane." "And still, people didn't say anything."