Abstract
Currently, sensationalized media, such as Cops, Law and Order, and CSI, shapes the public’s understanding of interactions with the criminal legal system. In the film Survivors Guide to Prison, director Matthew Cooke explores the interactions with the criminal legal system through the lens of individuals with direct experience with the system. The issues discussed throughout the film highlight the frequent inequalities that are present within the criminal legal system. Two important areas that are often discussed by scholars of sociology of punishment and criminology are emphasized throughout the film: social and structural inequality and authoritarianism.
Five years after the film was released, the topics discussed are still very relevant to a variety of sociology and criminology courses, such as Social Stratification; Criminal Justice; and Inequality, Punishment, and Law because of various areas of mass incarceration that are highlighted. Cooke guides the film through multiple tips to surviving prison; each tip consists of a critical view of the multiple steps taken when processing through the criminal legal system. For example, “how to survive an extreme prison sentence” is one tip area that is explored. Cooke is creative with his explanation for survival tips. Although the film presents the tip as a way to remain alive during long incarceration sentences, the conversation around survival is rather a critique of the system as a whole. The film explains in detail the likelihood of being arrested and mistreated in a system that is not designed to help you through an unpleasant situation, even in cases where the incarcerated individual is innocent.
In addition, the film provides a brief overview of multiple issue areas in policing, sentencing, corrections, and reentry. The film also displays interactions with the legal system that are relatable and easily digestible for individuals with limited knowledge of the criminal legal system as well as students who are further along in their studies. For example, the filmmakers provide statistics on the laws and regulations about bail, use of force, solitary confinement, sentencing, and corrections. They also use sociological concepts of political rhetoric, sentencing disparities, social inequality, and racism that is embedded in the criminal legal system.
A powerful discussion about the use mass incarceration as a form of public safety is overarching throughout the film. The film breaks down the misconception that mass incarceration reduces crime and improves public safety. For example, the film highlights that mass incarceration targets social groups that are often from marginalized communities, and rather than using social services to improve side effects of the mental health, substance use, and poverty crises, the United States use imprisonment as a solution. At one point, the film states, “There are more people living in prisons than on college campuses, and a multibillion-dollar business has emerged” (53:58). This critique leads into the concept of structural inequality, which refers to the power dynamics that are present in society based on socioeconomic status, race, gender, and so on. The film focuses on two main areas: race and socioeconomic status.
Throughout the film, Cooke emphasize the carceral system’s exploitation of incarcerated individuals’ labor. They explain the process of criminalizing poverty, removing people from society and eliminating their means of income, then imposing financial sanctions upon release. Many people leaving incarceration struggled financially prior to entering carceral facilities; therefore the additional financial burden increases their likelihood to recidivate. This concept is an area that could be used to educate students about social stratification and structural inequality in U.S. society. Coghlan and Huggins’s (2004) simulation exercise on social inequality would pair with this film to provide introductory students with a particular experience that could develop pathways to incarcerations. Comparably, D’Onofrio’s (2016) TRAILS activity on structural strain theory would be useful to implement theory into the concepts being explored throughout the film. However, the materials used would have to be somewhat altered to reflect the Survivors Guide to Prison. For example, D’Onofrio utilizes the documentary The House I Live In to teach students about structural strain that is present in disadvantaged communities and how this strain ties to the war on drugs as well as mass incarceration. D’Onofrio provides handouts for students to use while watching the film; these handouts’ questions could be altered to reflect Survivors Guide to Prison. In addition, the learning goals and assessments used to evaluate students’ critical understanding of racial and class inequalities in D’Onofrio’s activity match well with Cooke’s documentary because they require critical thought and understanding of incarceration statistics and the link between social inequalities and mass incarceration. Thus, Survivors Guide to Prison would be useful to substitute in D’Onofrio’s activity because of the overarching theme of social inequality in the criminal legal system.
In addition, the film focuses on the inequalities that are ever present in criminal legal system. For example, the production describes the criminalization of poverty, the war on drugs, and mandatory minimums. These terms are defined by criminologists and sociologists to explain the overrepresentation of people of color and low socioeconomic status who enter the criminal legal system because of the criminalization of drug use and disparities in sentencing based on the type of drug in the case. In particular, they focus on the concept of authoritarianism and the assumption that because an individual committed a crime, law enforcement and the legal system have the power to use whatever means necessary to enforce public safety. Although the film briefly touches on use of force and power dynamics, research from Garland (2001, 2012) that emphasizes the culture of control would add additional light to how public opinion, political rhetoric, and fear of crime impact the use of authoritarianism in the United States.
Although the film provides a strong overview of the disparities of the criminal legal system, there are weaknesses. For example, the film highlights the lives of two individuals that were wrongfully convicted for their crimes. Although I understand the desire to represent the vast number of individuals who are wrongfully held in carceral facilities daily, there are also other viewpoints that are important to understanding prison culture. For example, adding a perspective of individuals who have spent life in prison or were released from prison and returned would add an important lens to the film. Recidivism and crime reduction are buzzwords used when attempting to justify the use of incarceration. However, the film gives limited context to the unique process of reentry, which is commonly forgotten in the criminal legal system. Utilizing annual reviews, such as Morenoff and Harding (2014), could provide more understanding to the complex reentry process and how incarceration and the criminal legal system have many roles throughout the journey.
Additionally, the film utilizes a majority of males to represent the system. Despite the overrepresentation of men, specifically men of color, involved in the system, women are a growing population in the criminal legal system. Many feminist scholars argue that women have unique gendered experiences that impact their involvement, which the film does not mention. I would recommend adding additional experiences from women involved in the criminal legal system and the feminist perspective, if this film were to be used in the classroom. Specifically, intersectionality theory would be useful to explain the multitude of inequalities that converge to impact an individual’s experience with incarceration. Since the film does not go into great detail about the race and gender dynamics that impact the carceral system, an introductory or midlevel class should introduce theory from Foucault, Garland, Crenshaw, and other scholars that explains power dynamics as well as inequality in society.
Overall, Survivors Guide to Prison is an impactful film that has the opportunity to educate the students on the variety of problems associated with the criminal legal system. Graduate students may find the film redundant, but the film provides context and can be used with other materials from TRAILS, such as Cullen’s (2010) Structural Theories to Crime seminar. Mainly, the film would be most useful in an introductory or midlevel undergraduate criminology or social-problems class because of the vast coverage of critical topics. In particular, the film adds a human aspect to people involved with the system, which is often lost in media, text, and other public representations of people with criminal backgrounds. The film also provides brief overviews of major concept areas in criminology and criminal justice. Educators would find this film useful in a multitude of courses. The film should be used in its entirety for students to be able to fully benefit and grasp the dynamics of the criminal legal system as well as understand the story line throughout documentary. However, the film should be supplemented with other materials on inequality, punishment, and authority.