Parchman
We visited Parchman Penitentiary today and it was incredibly intense. First we heard an inmate talk about his life and how he got to jail. He had been a crack-cocaine dealer in California and he was driving out east to sell more drugs when he was caught in Mississippi. This man has a few daughters and a wife, and the most devastating part about being in prison for 15 years was missing out on watching his daughters grow up. One of his daughters moved into the USC dorms this past year and he was terribly sad that he could not participate in this experience. This man played basketball in college and he had a good job; I was surprised to see someone so normal convicted of a felony that resulted in 15 years of prison. The next man we talked to sold marijuana among other drugs. He was from Michigan and this was his second time being sent to prison. He told us that in Michigan, he was released on bail for the possession of marijuana, but in Mississippi he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. I couldn’t believe how different the two states were in punishment! I was also shocked to hear him talk about how tough life is in prison. I already knew about the gang rapes that often occurred in the bathroom, but he said that you always have to be aware of your surroundings because it is so violent in prison. He said that your most powerful weapon in prison (and the real world) is your mind. We learned about the food and how it is so disgusting that even the cats won’t eat it. A security guard confirmed this statement, as she said that sometimes she has to smell the food and that alone is repulsive. They eat their own vegetables from the fields, and you will often find cut up snakes and insects, because nobody cleans the vegetables.
The last man that talked to us had been charged for murder. He claims that he killed in self defense, but in the state of Mississippi that doesn’t matter. I looked at him and could not see a murderer: instead I saw an older man as normal as anyone else is. He said that in prison, it is the general understanding that murderers are better than pedophiles Murderers usually kill in the heat of the moment, where pedophiles must research and plan their attack. This group is most often the type that is killed by other inmates. Anyways, this man was very interesting to listen to and both he and the man from Michigan will be released in a few months.
While we heard the last two men talk, it was incredibly hot. The inmates do not get any air conditioning or heat. They also only receive three different outfits for each year. The second man said that there was a fight a few weeks ago and the inmates didn’t want to security guards to hear about it, so he had to wipe up all the blood with one of his three shirts. This must mean that the inmates are very careful about what they tell the guards. We also got to see footage from a few assaults in the past. We watched an inmate beat up a guard and leave him passed out on the ground. I can’t help but wonder where this rage comes from. It seems like some of the anger comes from the living conditions. For the very worst crimes, the inmates are locked in their cell for 23 hours out of the day. For the 24th hour, they are given some time outside. But they are confined to what looks like a dog kennel! It is ridiculously small and it must be scorching hot in them. For those guys, the one with a life sentence or on death row, they will live like that forever. But for most crimes, you can move up in your ranking in prison and increasingly develop more freedom. With time you can work in the fields all day and you do not have to be locked up in a cellar all day.
I can’t help but feel sad for these men. I realized that I could never work in a prison because I couldn’t find anything wrong with the men we saw. We stood at an observation point later in the day where we could watch dozens of men hanging around, and as I looked around I only saw people just like me. There were so many people that looked my age, a disturbing thought. Why are so many people in this jail?
There are around 5,000 inmates at Parchman, 85% due to drug-related crimes, and 80-85% are black. Those inmates on death row are closer to 50/50 white/black but for the rest of the population it is mostly black. The penitentiary resembles a plantation more than a jail and it is in the heart of the Delta. It is mostly the poor who come to prison because those who can afford good lawyers get out of their punishment. Mississippi’s laws are much harsher than most all states in the US. All these facts lead to the bothersome possibility that the prison system, particularly in this state, is made for certain people. Once people get there, it is also hard to get out. The programs that this prison offers to get inmates involve creating resumes and learning how to write checks. Classes like that will barely help anyone live a meaningful life after prison. Furthermore, if you have no money and no family members once you are let go, you are not legally allowed to leave. There is one man at the prison whose sister lives near a school. She is his only family member, but since he was a sex offender and cannot live near schools, he has to stay at Parchman. It was has been over 10 years since he was “released.” Stories like this were painful to hear about and made me realize that the fallacies in prison are too big to ignore. Today was definitely one of the most startling days of this trip.
Another interesting aspect of Parchman is that young women are increasingly becoming security guards. I wasn’t that surprised about this because lately they have had trouble finding employment, and I learned in my gender class that when men leave a particular job, women tend to fill in for them. This fact is nevertheless disturbing because I do not see how young women would be able to protect themselves against powerful ex-convicts.
Parchman was the perfect example of a total institution for many reasons. Multiple people said that you can never be the same once you are enrolled at Parchman, and after visiting I believe that once you enter the grounds for a long time you are forever changed. The place was very somber and depressing; I can’t imagine even working there.