derek kerr. the abuse of incarcerated inmates is almost an occupational hazard for the guards. that was made clear in the 1971 stanford prison study where students were recruited to play guards and prisoners. the study was aborted after six days because the subjects acting as guards became sadistic toward the inmates. similarly, mother jones reporter shane bower spent four months undercover in a private prison. after a couple of months as a guard, bower disclosed that he had been transformed as follows. striving to treat every one as a human being takes too much energy. i focus on proving that i won't back down. and this. i feel ashamed of my lack of self-control, my growing thirst for punishment and vengeance. the prison environment depersonalizes all involved. even with independent investigations, guards can easily get drawn into abuses that they would normally disavow. while wrong doers must be held accountable, we should also recognize that pathologies arise from institutional culture -- [bell ringing] -- role expectations and unchecked power. so we have to look at the situ