Behind A Convict's Eyes, Behind Prison Walls in a Modern American Prison
1950's films about 'babes behind bars' aside, even Hollywood has haddifficulty fully romanticizing the experience of prison. Even Hollywoodshows a prison that eviscerates the human soul in a horrific fashion, asseen in films such as "Hurricane" and "Animal Factory." The protagonistsof both films are changed forever because of their prison experiences.They are, and this is perhaps the 'Hollywood' element of their story,changed for the better. But the changes come more along the lines of a'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' line of narrative argument,rather than because prison fulfills an essentially rehabilitative function. It would be nice if prisons could rehabilitate as well as destroy.But the nature of the system seems to do more to keep individuals whom areharmful to society, away from the rest of so-called law abiding society,rather than to really change the ineffective life patterns and emotionalcoping mechanisms that exist within the structural life patterns ofcriminals. Behind A Convict's Eyes does little to alter this sense ofprison as a 'holding cell' of the human soul, a site of stasis rather thanof shifting consciousness for most. Perhaps this is because the central
It must notnecessarily be more lenient or more structured, but more must be done toinclude programs of education rather than to simply allow prisoner to bekept away from the rest of society, even if they will never be releasedagain into society like the narrator. Butit may also be because of the nature of the incarceration system as awhole. Because he is a lifer and is not strictly in line forrehabilitation, one is first tempted to question the point of centering onhis experiences, specifically. Aspects such as going to the weight roomare strictly controlled, and really provide little relief to the monotonyof a prison day. His voice is filtered through the book's editors Thomas Bernard,Leanne F. Just as a criminal cultureencouraged individuals to participate in criminal activity while they wereliving 'on the outside,' similarly there is also a culture of thecriminally incarcerated that exists on the inside of prison walls. Alarid, Bruce Bikle, and Alene Bikle. The only defining thread of the book really, is the central prisoneror 'lifer's' experiences with the issues raised and his experiences withother prisoners. The act of beingimprisoned its itself a punishment, in other words, no matter what thelength of time one's period of incarceration, and even if the conditionsare not as bad as they once were. But because of his long-standing inclusionin the system, over the course of his life, he is uniquely 'qualified' totake readers on a tour of the system, no holds barred in its graphic,portrayal of life in prison. Ultimately, the system must be changed so thatthere are note more K. The sheer difficulty of living in such close quarters toother people, and in constant fear for one's life and person, has apsychological and physical toll upon the prisoner. There is aprison 'culture,' the book makes clear.
Common topics in this essay:
KC Carceral's,
Convict's Eyes,
Animal Factory,
KC Carcerals,
,
Bikle Carceral's,
prison life,
system changed,
bars prison,
human soul,
american prison,
experiences issues,
life patterns,
convict's eyes,
life crime,
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Acceptance Essays
