Group Video: "Lock-Up: The Prisoners of Rikers Island"

There were many things that stood out to me while watching this film.

The first thing I noticed was how a lot of the prisoners were still wearing their own clothes instead of some sort of prison uniforms. In a lot of movies and pieces of media we see prisoners forced to wear a uniform in order to strip them of their individuality (everyone's familiar with the black-and-white stripes or the bright orange jumpsuits) but that wasn't the case in this real-life prison.

Another thing I noticed was the immense amount of segregation on Rikers Island. In the prison, not only are male and female prisoners separated but even gay prisoners had their own facility. Additionally, the prisoners would even separate themselves by race within their facilities.

Lastly, it was somewhat disturbing to see just how many prisoners accepted the idea that that was their life now. We were introduced to some prisoners who had practically made homes out of their cells, with all their clothes and furniture and even photographs and decorations. They had accepted the fact that they were going to be there forever.

Over all, it's interesting to see the daily life and first-hand perspective of people in prison and the way they have to adapt simply to survive. It's somewhat heartbreaking to see the poor conditions in which these people are forced to live and it brings up some questions about ethics and morality. While I understand that the whole purpose of prison is so punish criminals, is it really justifiable for prisoners to be treated in the way that they are?

Comments

  1. David FouldsSeptember 5, 2022 at 1:10 PM

    Indeed. And should the goal be punishment or treatment or both? People in prison are there for everything from murder to drug use. That's quite a spectrum. And I think both need treatment. Demonizing people and treating them like this is never going to help them recover from their pain and anger about the society and/or home life that lead them to that point.

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