Prison Difficulties

1

Various Difficulties in Prison

Penitentiaries have been evolving since their inception some two hundred years ago structurally, yet conditions inside remain more treacherous than the mind can fathom. Quality of life issues ranging from cells and cafeterias to treatment by staff and sexual abuse and everything in between have rapidly garnered much deserved attention. Convicts are beginning to have their memoirs published more and more often giving interested, and even non-interested, readers a much anticipated understanding of what happens behind the prison walls that society has long been shielded from. The lone problem with literary works from those incarcerated is that a trust issue arises. There becomes a dilemma as to whether or not the word of a convicted criminal can be taken as truth and understandably so. Thankfully the works of prisoners are not the only source of information for the difficulties that are experienced daily inside the confines of a penitentiary. With this paper I hope to successfully convey the mental and physical anguish that is felt while incarcerated.

In no way am I sympathizing with the convicts perception of prison life. Prison is meant to serve as a deterrent to those who would commit criminal acts fitting of a sentence and if a person chooses to put themselves in a position where they are deserving of time in prison then the consequences will be had. I believe that while no person should be subjected to unfit living conditions they are still responsible for their actions and should deal with every aspect of prison life no matter how harsh or unjust. Uncomfortable living quarters, poor quality of meals, poor treatment from staff and sexual abuse are "perks of the job". The conditions mentioned are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg and if those things alone cannot act as deterrents than I do not know what possibly could.

2

Imagine a high school lunch with delicious roast beef and freshly cooked vegetables followed by the finest desert you could ever want. It sounds perfect, but it was never the case. Instead of a healthy, fine cooked meal you received a nearly warm slice of pizza, barely baked French fries and a small serving of what seemed like week old fruit. To a person confined to a penitentiary forced to eat whatever the state regulated meal was for that day, the high school pizza and fries would be better than Thanksgiving. Inmates are served their meals on trays that have probably never been thoroughly disinfected and the servings are small and often never enough to satisfy an appetite. One inmate/author, James Paluch, described what was supposed to be yogurt and grits as "liquidy sour cream and a cream of wheat-like substance" (A Life For A Life, 2004) respectively. This allows some idea of the poor quality of prison food. In high school you were able to distinguish the meal you were eating while with prison food you are seemingly taking a gamble.

Aside from mess hall food, there is another constant that consumes an inmate's being while imprisoned, the one place that a convict simply cannot avoid, the cell. The cell is a small enclosure, often 6 x 9 or thereabout, and contains an uncomfortable bed, a sink and toilet. The bed is made of a steel slab covered by a thin mattress barely capable of permitting a good night's rest. The toilet is small as well the sink, as they fit snuggly into the small cell. In some prisons the cell becomes cold, near frigid during the winter months because of its cement frame as was the case with Paluch and countless other inmates across the country I'm sure. He states, "on the highest tiers it [ the heat ] is too hot to even breatheÐ'...but those on the lower tiers experience refrigerator-like temperatures" (A Life For A Life, 2004). Furthermore, the insanity experienced while confined to the cell is

3

unbearable and understandably becomes too much to handle resulting in acts that might normally be out of character for some inmates including sleeplessness, acts of rage (screaming, violence) and extreme irritability.

These two aspects alone, horrible food quality and cell confinement, would be enough for me to avoid prison time at all costs, but there are more should-be deterrents. One is treatment by staff members, mainly the guards. Most prison guards treat inmates as if they are a lower form of life and depending on the crime the guards may be correct, however the lack of respect can lead to displays of hatred toward the guards. A man (or woman) can only endure so