Social Stratification in the Deep South

After a weekend in New Orleans and an evening at a Jook Joint, today’s destination was sobering. Parchman is one of the most notorious prisons in the United States and is the maximum security prison for the state of Mississippi. We had to stow and lock away all of our electronic equipment and money and the get patted down by a guard before we were allowed to tour the grounds. I knew the statistics about the size of Parchman which is a operating farm with 18,000 acres. But to actually see it was amazing. The property went on for as far as we could see. Its size and the fact it is all crop fields make it difficult for escape as inmates have few landmarks to help them guide their way out. There was an escape last month, but the escapee got lost and stopped to ask directions to Memphis. Since he was in a uniform and state car (both stolen during the escape), people knew something was fishy as any state official knows how to get to Memphis. So they caught up with him in short order…..

linked from: http://www.thebluehighway.com/parchman.jpg

It also turns out there was a killing at the prison last week, so we were fortunate to not have our tour canceled. It was a prisoner on prisoner killing using a handmade spear. Very chilling.

We heard talks from three different inmates who told us their individual stories. Two were in for selling drugs, one for murder (in relation to drugs). Evidently drug convictions account for a large percentage of the incarcerations. The sentences for dealing drugs are very severe in Mississippi, longer than for many violent crimes. It made me start to recall my long held belief that there is something to be said for the decriminalization of drugs. But that’s a discussion for another time.

The tour was very educational. Reading about prison conditions and watching dramatizations on TV/movies is much different from walking into one of the units for real. Talk about leaving your comfort zone…..Probably the thing that was most jarring to me was seeing the exercise cages that the maximum security prisoners use. They have access to these for 1 hour per day. The cages are 6′ x 9′ and have concrete floors and no shading. Today was supposed to run up to the 90’s and we saw many men in the cages around 2:30 pm. They looked miserable. How can a person exercise in that environment? I guess it struck me because I’m such an exercise addict and think it might help things if they could wear out the prisoners with some strenuous exercise!

The other highlight of the tour for me was the technology (surprise). We were able to see the surveillance system they have put in place to watch the maximum security unit. It was quite high tech, they have over 300 cameras in place and observe from a facility 3 miles away from the building. We were able to watch the live action on the screens. One disturbing scene was a guard mopping up a huge pool of blood on the floor outside a cell. We were told the prisoner sliced his arm and had been taken to the hospital. We were told this is often done in order to get out of the building to the hospital where the prisoner can get attention, rather than an attempt to really harm himself.

They say they do tours for many school aged groups from middle school on up. I hope it makes the kids think hard about how to live their lives, and not just give them nightmares.