Final answer:
An inmate who informs on another inmate to authorities is typically known as a 'snitch.' This action is often tied to the concept of the 'prisoner's dilemma,' which demonstrates the complexities of cooperation versus self-interest in criminal justice scenarios.
Step-by-step explanation:
An inmate who reveals the activity of another inmate to authorities is commonly referred to as a snitch. This situation often occurs in what is known as the prisoner's dilemma, where two co-conspirators are arrested and must decide whether to cooperate with each other by remaining silent or betray one another by confessing to get a lighter sentence. This dynamic creates a complex strategic situation where trust, individual self-interest, and potential outcomes all play crucial roles. In the archetypal prisoner's dilemma, if both inmates stay silent, they get the lightest collective sentence. However, each prisoner faces the temptation to confess and betray the other in hopes of receiving a lighter individual sentence, leading to the counterintuitive outcome where individual rational decisions result in a worse collective outcome.