Turn Around Young Man

For new inmate, the bus ride to prison, the processing at the prison reception center, and the belittling shouts from the inmates are all part of the early stage of what is known as prisonization (Clear, Cole, Petrosino, Reisig, 2015). It is the process whereby newly institutionalized individual are introduced to and come to accept prison lifestyles and criminal values; the learning of convict values, attitudes, roles, and even language (prison argot) (Schamelleger, 2001). The new inmates gradually learn the set of rules of conduct that reflect the

The book Houses of Healing, “A Prisoner's Guide To inner Power And Freedom”, by Robin Casarjian, is a very purpose driven re-imagining of what a self help book can be. It is obviously geared towards rehabilitation of inmates as they live out their sentence, however I found the completion of the program stands for much more than its intended audiences incarceration. Not only was it a rewarding read for myself, but I believe it could be useful in rehabilitating inmates and giving them a new outlook on life.

In “True Notebook” written by Mark Salzman, the author states his own experiences at a Juvenile Hall. Salzman was stuck in a book he was trying to write. In order to help him find research material, his friend took him to a Juvenile Hall and wanted him to help teenagers who were in Juvenile Hall with writing. During the period when Mark taught in Juvenile Hall, not only did he meet lots of teenagers, but also, he knew some people, such as Sister Janet, and some of the guards. Mark, Sister Janet, and some of the guards treated the inmates of Juvenile Hall as their friends and their children. They helped humanize the inmates of Juvenile Hall and made the inmates feel that they still have mental freedom, and their lives still have hope.

Sadly, not all marriages have good endings. This could be caused by several reasons, such as falling out of love, neglect, or lack of communication. The latter is the main cause of the short story A Young Man’s Folly by Susan Michalicka. The story revolves around a modern family, where a boy tries to deal with the loss of his father leaving him. Michalicka conveys the message of: “Sometimes when you’re chasing something, you lose sight of what is really important” very well through the use of conflict, characterization and symbolism.

“What I Learned as a Kid in Jail” is a speech given at a TEDTalk convention to a group of young men and women delivered by Ismael Nazario, a prison reform advocate where he does work for The Fortune Society, a non profit organization. Nazario was arrested when he was just under eighteen for robbery and sent directly to Rikers Island where he spent 300 days in solitary confinement, before ever being convicted of the crime. Nazario’s goal in delivering his speech to a group of younger men and women is to make them aware of the way correctional officers treat younger inmates and how inmates should be spending their time doing productive activities and understanding they do not have to go back to the life they were living. Nazario accomplished this goal by sharing personal stories from his past experiences.

I will have an internship with the Department of Juvenile Justice in Chicago during this summer, so this book provided examples of how to approach the prison environment. The case histories which impacted me, mainly was the Case Histories I, which illustrated Mrs. Chase and her interactions with the inmates. I feel this case influenced me because I am also female with no experience, who is about to work in a juvenile facility. I will face some of the same obstacles as Mrs. Chase since some of the juveniles are not far from my ages. However, this book taught me ways to hinder the interaction with inmates into a professional only demeanor. For instance, when approaching me, I will make it clear that I will only be addressed by my last name, and will not respond anything other than my last name. Additionally, I will not disclose any personal information to the inmates; however, I will provide information if it’s appropriate for the situation. Moreover, I want to build a relationship with the inmates to show that I am here to help them, better themselves, but not for personal reasons, such as intimate relationships or outside

This week’s reading focused on prisons. The Society of Captives was written by Gresham M. Sykes in 1958. He conducted a study on a maximum security prison in New Jersey. Chapter 1 focused on the prison and its settings. The author goes into detail about the size of the cells and what the prison actually looks like. He also writes about how the prisoner is no longer seen as man but as a number. My Sunday school teacher visits prisons to teach about the bible. He has commented to me that is exactly how certain correction officers see the prisoners. They are nothing but a number to some individuals. This can lower their self-image (Sykes, 1958).

As discussed in a recent essay by Saul Kaplan “The Plight of Young Males”, there is a serious academic gender achievement gap in the United States and as I will discuss, around the world. Young women are doing significantly better than young men, and the results are shocking. In the latest census, males make up 51 percent of the total U.S. population between the ages of 18-24. Yet only 40 percent of today’s college students are men. Since 1982, more American women than men have received bachelor’s degrees. In the last ten years, two million more women graduated from college than men. As Kaplan reveals, the average eleventh-grade boy writes at the level of the average eighth-grade girl. He also states that women dominate high school honor rolls and now make up more than 70 percent of class valedictorians. Kaplan says, “I am happy to see women succeeding. But can we really afford for our country’s young men to fall so far behind,” (733)?

MK Asante, in his book Buck: The Memoir, highlights the devastation of mass incarceration on the family structure and on individuals, particularly young individuals, who are incarcerated. Asante utilizes an informal tone and jargon the way in which the penal and justice systems dehumanizes those it is meant to reform. Asante’s informal approach and use of jargon turns the issue of mass incarceration into a conversation that engages readers. His feelings about the penal system and justice system are spelled out in the form of a narrative, thus making it easier for the reader to remain engaged. Brian Stevenson focuses on a variety of factors and their contribution to mass incarceration such as a lack of knowledge about mental health and the deterioration of one 's well being as a result of imprisonment. He utilizes anecdotes

Between a Rock and a Hard Place seems quite an appropriate title for this HBO documentary whose executive producer and star is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Young men with serious criminal charges and significant prison sentences are provided a second chance by participating in the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department’s Boot Camp Program in place of serving their entire prison sentence. Dwayne Johnson greets 38 cadets starting the program, lectures them on their opportunity and asserts that he wants the world to see the importance of the program. Lastly, he cautions them bluntly, not to “… f**k this up.” For most people it would appear that participating in this 16 week program would be easier compared to the alternative of

Ted Conover’s book, New Jack, is about the author's experiences as a rookie guard at Sing Sing prison, in New York, the most troubled maximum security prison. He comes to realize that being a correctional officer isn’t an easy task. This is shown from the beginning when he is required to attend a 7 week training program to become a correctional officer. He comes to realize what inmates have to endure on a daily basis. Throughout his experience into a harsh culture of prison and the exhausting and poor working conditions for officers, he begins to realize that the prison system brutalizes everyone connected to it. New Jack presents new ideas of prisons in the United States in the ways facilities, corrections officers, and inmates function with

This book is an honest account of life in Leavenworth Prison, Kansas based on interviews with notorious inmates and numerous other individuals. The book begins with introducing inmates such as Carl Bowles, Dallas Scott and William Post and offers insight information on the cultural aspect inside the prison itself. Once the basics are known to the reader, the author Pete Earley, develops the character of the prisoners and thus of the penitentiary as a whole.

After reading the book I have gained a new understanding of what inmates think about in prison. Working in an institution, I have a certain cynical attitude at times with inmates and their requests.

‘Scared Straight’ programs were first implemented in the U.S. in the 1970’s. However, they became nationally popular in the aftermath of the 1978 Arnold Shapiro documentary Scared Straight!, in which a group of delinquents are berated by a group of convicts known as “lifers” for three hours. At the end of the film, the appropriately terrified teenagers state that they have decided that they do not want to go to jail (Lowry, 1999). Scared Straight programs allow juveniles who are criminal offenders or deemed at-risk for becoming such to have contact with adult prisoners. The process varies across the country according to the prison, and can include jail tours, one-on-one conversations with prisoners, or even being integrated into the facility and living life as a prisoner for a day. As their name would suggest, these programs’ purpose is to discourage juveniles from committing further criminal activity; the expected outcome is that a child who is exposed to the undesirable conditions of prison life will be deterred from future delinquency due to shock and fear. Unfortunately, this is not rarely the case. Scared Straight programs are unproductive at best and counterproductive at worst, and allowing them to continue is a strain on the community as a whole.

Once you enter a prison, you are in a completely different world. The sound of the door as it closes drives the realization home: your freedom is gone. Whatever luxuries you had before are gone. Everything you once took for granted you now long for, and contemplate with reverence. This being the case, there are now two new sets of rules you have to follow: the rules of the staff, and the rules of the inmates. Of course, these will conflict, but you have to deal with it now. Prison subculture is different from the outside world and even varies between men’s and women’s. The men’s subculture is probably the better known of the two. It has its own set of ebonics, attitudes, statuses, and values. Inmates say that