Two Truths & Many Lies Cocomelon, JC, & Rosalie Harmon

Introduction

There are millions of people outside these mile-high fences, hearing and believing every word that is said about what's behind these cinder block walls. Myths on education, behavior, violence, and mental health are released every day to the public. These myths cause people on the outside to fear anyone that has ever been in the system and migrate further away from these facilities. In this piece, a man on the inside of Everglades Correctional Facility, JC, will share his input in an attempt to squash these myths directed towards all prisons.

"Prisons are built to be out of sight and are, thus, out of mind."

-Heather Ann Thompson

Myth #1: "Money is used sufficiently"

No Humanity

JC tells us that people on the inside are given the worst of the worst. People on the inside are given the cheapest products for all their essential needs. We, as people on the outside, have the luxury to stand in the aisle of a drug store and choose the top products that we feel are best for our bodies. People on the inside have no luxury at all.

Not one person on the inside could provide JC with a program that is supported and funded by the government. The prison system preaches rehabilitation and help for all when the system takes no action to support these words. If prisons really wanted to help the people housed in them they would at least donate a little money to some programs; and that's the bare minimum.

The Prison System On Money From "Are Prisons Obsolete":

"In the meantime, corporations associated with the punishment industry reap profits from the system that manages prisoners and acquire a clear stake in the continued growth of prison populations." (Davis 16)

Davis provides insight about the privatization of prisons and the profitability from the work of the people on the inside and growing incarceration rates.

"Mass imprisonment generates profits as it devours social wealth, and thus it tends to reproduce the very conditions that lead people to prisons." (Davis 17)

Here, Davis is talking about how the prison system is run on taxes that could be better allocated to programs on the outside that would help prevent conditions that lead people to breaking the law. Therefore, the current system is a never-ending cycle for dependency on prisons and increases in issues with society on the outside.

"The term 'prison industrial complex' was introduced by activists and scholars to contest prevailing beliefs that increased levels of crime were the root cause of mounting prison populations. Instead, they argued, prison construction and the attendant drive to fill these new structures with human bodies have been driven by ideologies of racism and the pursuit of profit." (Davis 84)

Davis introduces the prison industrial complex, an important topic with the subject of prisons, and a variation to a misconstrued belief that the incarceration rate is high due to crime rates. Over the years, research has shown that there is little to no correlation between crime and incarceration rate, proving that the belief is not true (“Criminal Justice Facts”).

"Longer prison terms mean greater profits, but the larger point is that the profit motive promotes the expansion of imprisonment." ( Davis 37)

If a corporation gains profit from the prison industry, they will push for further expansion of imprisonment within the government and politicians to further their profit.

"The privatization characteristic of convict leasing has its contemporary parallels, as companies such as CCA and Wackenhut literally run prisons for profit." (Davis 95)

Davis is stating that due to the privatization of the prison industry, companies like CCA and Wackenhut are allowed to take money from the government, spend as little as possible on the prison and people on the inside, and profit from the rest.

Rosalie Harmon's Writing to JC

Rosalie Harmon discusses the ideology of independent success and profit within the United States. She finds that the problem is with the corporations and companies that profit off of the prisons and people on the inside, but also identifies that the government and politicians are the problem as well for allowing privatization of prisons to occur and continue giving tax dollars towards private prisons. People on the outside can help people on the inside by voting for people that do not support hard punishment and is not sponsored by corporations or companies that profit off prisons.

Myth #2: "Correctional officers are there to protect and prevent violence."

Cocomelon's Writing To JC

There is a huge amount of violence in the prison system as well as tons of innocent, wrongfully convicted individuals in the system. The violence forces many on the inside the need to develop a strong, dangerous aura. People on the inside feel the need to look dangerous in order for no one else to bother them or inflict violence on them. Innocent people are built into dangerous beings surrounded by so much violence and fear of harm and death constantly. Prisons build the prisoners, prisoners do not build the prisons.

Below, JC addresses how he feels about who implements and causes the violence that goes on in prisons. He strongly feels as if there are good people in prison and their crime does not make them who they are.

Violence In Juvenile Detention Centers

Juvenile Detention Centers are the facilities that children that commit crimes under the age of 18 are sent to. Children are specifically sent to these facilities not just because they are young but because they are meant to teach children to turn their lives around. The primary goals of the juvenile justice system are skill development, habilitation, rehabilitation, addressing treatment needs, and successful reintegration of youth in order to prevent children from becoming incarcerated later in their lives. These facilities are supposed to be safer than adult prisons and provide children with guidance so that they will put an end to wrongful behavior. However, there are many instances where these facilities are just as dangerous and as violent as adult prisons. In this excerpt from "What's Hidden Behind the Walls of American Prisons?" the beating of a young boy in one of these facilities by a correctional officer is discussed. At such a young age these children are brought into these facilities expecting the correctional officers to keep them safe from other inmates however, unfortunately many of these children shortly learn that the real danger is not from other inmates but, it is from the correctional officers. Not being able to trust anyone in prison is when inmates begin to activate their "every man for themselves" survival skills. The beginning of this mindset is the beginning of a violent lifestyle no matter the age.

Here is but one account that Bernstein was able to share with the public of a 12-year-old boy who, when his mother was allowed finally to visit him, was found "rail-thin," with his eyebrows shaved off, a dent in his temple and with a "huge black eye, a busted lip, and a bruise on his rib cage in the shape of a boot." when she asked him, appalled, how he had gotten so injured he explained flatly, "Mom, this is what happens. . .a guard did this. they want you to know who's boss."

Myth #3: "A prison sentence ends once an inmate is released."

The incarcerated are treated like a flock of sheep. They are all essentially labeled with their own number that is used as their identification. People on the inside are in a way striped of their names and dehumanized. JC has not even been released from prison yet and he knows that this number is going to follow him for years to come. JC, along with millions of other inmates, sentences will not be ending anytime soon regardless of their registered sentence time.

Myth #4: "People on the inside work to gain a sufficient amount of money and support through programs and staff ."

JC had to be rushed to the hospital for something that medical examiners could have caught if they cared enough to take the necessary steps. Just because people are on the inside does not mean they no longer go through the same things that people on the outside go through. If anything, people on the inside need to be more careful with their health as they are all crammed in unsanitary conditions with unhealthy food. JC received no help until they had no other choice but to provide him with help so he would not die in their care. Not enough people in the prison system care, and even some medical examiners with the job of taking care of others for a living.

Think about how much people on the outside make an hour. The lowest minimum wage out of all 50 states in 2022 is listed at $7.25/hour and the highest minimum wage is listed at $15.20/hour. On average, inmates make about 2 to 5% of the amount that people on the outside make with the lowest minimum wage and less than 1% of the highest minimum wage. An inmate that makes $0.15/hour would have to work for over two days straight to reach the minimum amount that people on the outside could make in an hour.

". . .classroom size is limited, and the number often decreases through the semester, sometimes due to disciplinary measures or transfers." -The Effects of Educational Programs in Prison Towards Overall Rehabilitation

Programs are not given money from the government or the facility. All educational programs are funded directly by donations and are taught by volunteers. That being said, there would be no educational programs if it was not for the people on the outside that care. There is essentially no push for rehabilitation as there is no money given to prisons to fund these programs. The government is not trying to help people on the inside get out of prison. The government is not preparing people on the inside for a new life, nor putting them on a path to a life without prison in it. The majority of people released from prison will end up back in it because of the lack of assistance from the system.

Rosalie Harmon's Writings to JC

Rosalie Harmon writes about the possibilities of the justice and prison systems and uses Norway for an example of a more humane, rehabilitation, and program based system.

Many correctional officers purposely make inmates that are in these beneficial programs late. They do not want inmates to be ready for the real world, have an education, or any perks while on the inside. There are people on the inside like JC eager to go to these programs and prepare themselves for their release. People like JC want to change their lives and want to be better but correctional officers are making this impossible for them.

What to Take Away?

The incarceration system affects every in people. The exchange with JC has highlighted the issues and misconceptions with the prison and justice system. What everyone needs to remember is that we are all human, and it is mistakes and imperfections that make us human. A person being human should not subject them to being treated inhumanely and unfairly. Just because it hasn't affected you yet, doesn't mean it won't, directly or indirectly, in the near future. So prisons may be out of mind and out of sight right now, but it may not be for long and what type of system would you rather be affected by, one that is brutal and cruel or one that focuses more on rehabilitation and equity. We have focused on some of the issues with the current prison system. The reality of prisons means that us outside people must take a stand and demand change.

Works Cited

Cocomelon. Letters to JC. “UM Exchange for Change (E4C) Collection, Spring 2022.”

“Criminal Justice Facts.” The Sentencing Project, 3 June 2021, https://www.sentencingproject.org/criminal-justice-facts/.

Davis, Angela Yvonne. Are Prisons Obsolete? Seven Stories Press, 2003.

JC. Letters to Rosalie Harmon and Cocomelon. “UM Exchange for Change (E4C) Collection, Spring 2022.”

Malec, Christopher. The Effects of Educational Programs in Prison Towards Overall Rehabilitation: The Observations and Perspective of a Prisoner.

Rosalie Harmon. Letters to JC. “UM Exchange for Change (E4C) Collection, Spring 2022.”

Thompson, Heather Ann. “What's Hidden behind the Walls of America's Prisons.” The Conversation, 4 June 2017, https://theconversation.com/whats-hidden-behind-the-walls-of-americas-prisons-77282.

Image credit: Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images

Image: “A New Study of Emotions and Solitary Confinement.” Wolfson College Cambridge, https://www.wolfson.cam.ac.uk/about/news/new-study-emotions-and-solitary-confinement.

Image: Supplies, Premier 1. “How to Tag a Lamb Using EasyTags and a Premier Applicator.” Premier1Supplies Sheep Guide, 5 Oct. 2012, https://www.premier1supplies.com/sheep-guide/2012/10/how-to-tag-a-lamb-using-easytags-and-a-premier-applicator/.

Image: “Jail Inmate Photo Booth Prop.” King Props, https://kingprops.com/products/jail-inmate-prop-sign.

Created By

Cocomelon Rosalie Harmon

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