Serene Afternoons

Those of you that live in or near a major city have probably spent a weekend afternoon at your city’s largest park, and surely found it to be a unique and serene experience. From the joggers and bicyclists cruising the paths to the sport enthusiasts, to the dog lovers out for a stroll with their canine companions, there is a feeling of a gathering taking place for the common good, where all have left their troubles at home and come only to enjoy what nature and community have to offer. Even those of you who have never experienced this personally have surely seen cinematic evidence of a day in New York City’s Central Park, and can relate to what I’m describing.Now picture the same Sunday in the park, only with all of its participants shirtless, tattooed convicts doing time for murder, drug...

Why am I here?

You may be wondering by now, “What’s this guy doing in a Maximum Security prison? He doesn’t seem like a killer.” Let me tell you, you’re soooo right. In fact, I haven’t always been in a Max Security joint. I started out in a fairly calm Medium Security Institution, but an unfortunate incident involving a 300 pound Nazi and a burrito compromised that. I’m not sure whether I blame the 300 pound Nazi or the burrito more, but let me tell you what happened, and you can decide for yourselves.As we’ve already discussed, you cannot always choose who your cellmate is going to be around here. So I happened to draw a big skinhead fella named “Country” (never a good thing) (Think Deliverance) who had the brains of a rhesus monkey and the brawn of an 800 pound Silverback. I’m a cordial enough guy,...

A Dose Of Reality

Here’s something kind of fun. The whole inspiration for this website in the first place was seeing a couple of really bad movies about (or depicting) prison, and thinking to myself, “ya know, they probably believe it’s really like that.” But really, there is just not that much realism in prison cinema. A couple flicks have hit it right on, however. So what I thought I’d do is list the top 10 most authentic prison movies, and then tell you the ones NOT to believe. Here goes:For a dose of reality:The Shawshank Redemption—This movie captures the essence of a prisoners existence. From the sobering loneliness Andy felt alone in his cell at night to the irreplaceable camaraderie he felt with Red. This movie is just how it is. It’s a grind - the same thing all day every day, there’s always...

What is prison even for?

Not long ago, I observed that “no one knows what prison is for anymore.” I included this comment in a mostly sardonic and observational post, one that did not address the prison “purpose” issue in ANY detail. Yet I received some feedback on that particular comment, so I’m going to take the time to expound on the thought.When I say no one knows what prison is for, I am over looking the obvious. Of course the immediate goal of incarceration is to get criminals off the street and in a place where they can no longer do harm to the law abiding public. Beyond that, however, I fear that the powers that be have become mired in a punishment for us, rehabilitation debate, and lost a sense of objective. It seems that the strategy presented to the public is to provide criminals an environment where...

Some clarification!

Well, we’re only a little ways into this project, and I’ve already learned a few things. Most of it will turn out to be a positive thing, and since we’re all about honesty here in this little corner of cyberspace, here it is:This writing thing is harder than I expected. Not that I don’t know how to write—I am an aspiring journalist/novelist with plenty of experience. But, with this blog, I feel like I’m speaking directly to you. That makes me a little nervous. On top of that, I can’t go back and change what I’ve said. Once one of these goes in the mail, it’s a done deal. I think like any writer, as soon as you write something down, you begin to question it. That’s a little tough. I don’t get the benefit of a second draft.You can’t please everyone, so why try? I quickly realized that...