Abstract
Violence. Incarceration. Voice. The root of violence is anger. Anger is a physiological response to fear. Deep down we are all wired to respond with violence in situations of survival. This is in our nature, but some choose to nurture this trait. Still violence is not solely found in prison. But do prisoners just have a lack of responsibility? Or is it a form of communication for those that are not heard? I am using a medium so that the voice of violence can be heard for those of us incarcerated. This is our story.
In prison violence is undeniably a factor. We’ve all seen the movies where people fight, stab, and even kill in a prison setting. One could say it comes with the territory. Until you experience firsthand how quickly a situation can ignite into a blaze of fury behind prison gates, there is no way to truly understand how violent acts can occur in a manner of seconds. There are many issues. Our criminal justice system, for one, is actually breeding violent criminals. Many pretty offenders are being put into a place where the law of survival of the fittest takes on a whole new level. Try to imagine living with the killers and outcasts of society. Violence can also be used to rise up in the ranks of gang affiliation. Violence may also be a necessity for survival. Worst of all, no one is safe from violence. Even those who are put in place to “protect” inmates, instigate or partake in acts of violence themselves.
I believe the criminal justice system is guilty of using a one size fits all method when convicting criminals. Someone can go to prison for a number of reasons and not be a violent person. Prison is not rehabilitating these people. It’s a fact that once a person goes to prison they become more likely higher to commit a violent offense when they get released. This is because you don’t get to choose who you live around. The men or women housed with you could be prone to violence. Being in this type of hostile environment can actually desensitize you to the reality of violence you may have to deal with. This is not fair to people who may simply be a nonviolent addict or a thief. People in these categories have to find a method to cope with living around dangerous inmates.
It is known that people have issues adjusting back into society upon completion of a prison term. As hard as it is to adjust and learn to live where violence is widely accepted is not as hard as letting down your defense mechanisms when you get out. You will always remember how you had to survive in the prison. The tension you live with inside of prison is a stigma that follows you out to the streets.
This is where the criminal justice system fails us. After being forced to live in a world of violence, we are then forced to not take this trend into life outside these walls. Reform requires reformation of a broken system. You can’t expect someone to succeed in both worlds. I could write page after page of horrible circumstances that have arisen in prison. The point is once you get caught up in the revolving door of the prison cycle, it becomes hard to find an escape. The dizzying adjustment cannot be reconciled by using underfunded programming that does not remove you from the horrors of life inside. Giving up on often young and repeat offenders, the system is brainwashing our youth to accept prison as the norm. Our system that is supposed to protect people from violence is creating generation after generation of violent persons by turning small time criminals into a factor of a violent prison life that they must conform to.
Even though it’s easy to blame the criminal justice system, the actual structure of the prison is at fault as well. In our prison system violence is unfortunately the answer to many day to day issues. People may act violently because it seems to be the only recourse to an action. Just like Newton once said, for every action there is an equal but opposite reaction. Grown men have fought over a Ramen soup right before my eyes. There is also a code of conduct and standards in prison. Not as common in the new age but still respected is an honor among thieves. The problem is that people are put into prison for not following rules. Once you get to prison there is a set of laws to live by. Some of which are put in place by prison staff and others set by inmates. To make matters worse, the ones that enforce rules may come across in a very off-putting manner. The staff may act like the struggles of detainees are no problem of their own. The job they have puts them in a position of power. This translates to them having an attitude that they are superior to the people who are incarcerated instead of seeing them for what they are: People! Nothing can bring out the worst in someone crying for help than a cavalier attitude towards their struggle.
Violence or threats of violence is sometimes the only way to be heard. As sad as it is, this form of being heard is a common thread. The correctional officers are trained to be a team against the inmates. A violent reaction only leads to retaliation that is never going to have a good outcome for those behind bars. When you not only expect violence from your peers but also from the authority as well, a man becomes a ticking time bomb.
In prison there is a society set up to keep order from within. There are criminal enterprises in the penitentiary. People join gangs which control the flow of money and activity. The only way to be accepted into or also move up the ranks of a gang is through violence. You must be ready to commit acts of violence at any time to earn status among these organizations. Though usually voluntary, many people see these gangs as a way to become somebody, empowered in a world where controlling your daily schedule is not an option. People that hold power take a liking to impressionable youngsters. When it’s someone’s first time in the joint we call them fish. This is what they amount to, fish swimming in a tank of sharks. With a promise of money and power in this illicit system we abide in, it’s not hard to turn someone out to the idea of using violence to establish themselves.
Now I would like to bring to light a scenario of corruption in a county facility I experienced. I was involved in an inmate assault and then caught with a homemade knife known as a “shank.” Without going into the details of the assault I would like to convey I was rightfully placed into some of the most restrictive forms of solitary confinement. In this method of torture or cruel punishment known as double doors is where I met Money Mike. Though I never seen him face to face, me and Money Mike talked through the ventilation system for hours and hours a day. He was an intelligent and charismatic man. He was fighting his legal case pro-se, which means he represents himself through court preceding without the help of legal counsel.
Part of his story brought attention to a situation of detention staff violently assaulting inmates. It was not only hard to believe, it seemed almost fictitious until I experienced it firsthand. See fighting between Staff and inmates was something of commonplace, but this was much harder to grasp.
Money Mike had locked himself in his cell using a rolled up magazine to stop the door from opening. Jail personnel quickly called this a hostage situation because his cell mate was locked in with him. His only request was one hour of phone time he felt he was cheated out of. During the process of a cell extraction by a special riot team he was beaten up fairly bad. This I could accept as reality but what he told me next I couldn’t believe. He said that officers hog tied him, picked him up and slammed him headfirst into a wall so hard that he lost consciousness.
Months later I was in a less restrictive housing unit. I witnessed an inmate in handcuffs being led upstairs. The inmate was being loud and disruptive but not violent in any way. I watched as several officers took him to the ground while he was still in cuffs. Next they preceded to hogtie his legs and arms together. What I seen next shook me to the core. The officers picked him up and swung him back and forth to gain momentum. They then slammed him headfirst into a wall with enough force to knock him out cold. I was horrified and instantly knew that what Money Mike had told me was true and that this was not an isolated event. The victimized inmate started to have seizures while he was unconscious. I watched as he violently shook on the ground. The guilty staff members did nothing to help him. Eventually medical came and when they asked what had happened, the officers blatantly lied saying that he fell. When medical attempted to give him medicine, the assaulters told medical not to administer it. The reason they said was “he may or may not have consumed hooch.” Hooch is a form of prison alcohol. The poor victim was carried away on a stretcher and I never seen him again.
Being a witness to this event I have become scared and concerned for all that are incarcerated. If the peacekeepers could get away with actions like this more than once then anybody could be a victim. It is not okay to tie someone up and slam them headfirst into a wall no matter what they may have done. I know for a fact that this institution I’m speaking of isn’t the only one where staff can violently injure someone and get away with it.
The last thing I would like to make clear is that violence is also a product of how we are programmed through life experiences. Though not as common or accepted violence happens in the streets as well. For some its beginnings trace back to an upbringing of a broken home. For others its triggered by media in the forms of music, games, and movies. Still others are just addicted to the rush of adrenaline they experience in the heat of the moment. Some individuals are just more prone to violence. In all fairness there is a certain percentage who need to take prison time to step back and really change their outlook on life. Maybe through advancing our programming for incarcerated people we can start to change our system for the better.
In a criminal justice system where people are forced to evolve into a more dangerous criminal, some type of reform must be made. Non-violent offenders should never see a prison yard. Prison is a place of violence. A place that is overran with gangs that operate under a form of Martial Law. Being in prison you have to be ready for violence at any time. A riot could break out or a fight could start over anything. Worst of all, people put in place to protect you are assaulting people themself. At this point in time my biggest fear is that if nothing changes, well then nothing changes. Violence is not the answer!