Analysis Of A Place To Stand By Jimmy Santiago Baca

With no doubt, mass incarceration has produced broken people from a broken system. What breaks the heart even more is knowing that there are collateral consequences that follow these ex-prisoners throughout the rest of their life. Those who come out of the incarcerated system struggle to get back on their feet due to discrimination. Marginalization of felons can be found anywhere—specifically in jobs, housing, and even in debt that they cannot afford. Iris Marian Young introduces the birdcage metaphor, where one wire of the cage represents racism. However, there are many wires that create racism, and each of them have different approaches in keeping the bird, or the disadvantaged, trapped in the cage. Michelle Alexander’s book, The New Jim

All is silent now. Not a whisper, not a single sound nor movement is heard from inside the walls. Another night survived. I wake to the sound of bars being smacked with a wooden stick and boots pounding on the ground like the sound of an army of soldiers marching even though it was only one man, I am all too familiar with these sounds now. Today is a special day;, today marks two years of a four year stint of a four stint that I have been incarcerated. for now and I only have two years to go. I am used to most things in this place now but there are some things that will never truly sink in.

In A Place to Stand, Jimmy Santiago Baca introduces the readers to his life, providing many details from his past that allow the readers to understand his present. Throughout the novel, Baca finds himself in the midst of violence where ultimately, these instances lead to a common theme of abuse. The physical and mental abuse that Baca endures throughout his childhood plays an important part in shaping Baca’s entire life. Furthermore, the abuse that Baca suffers inflicted by his father, his mother, and his ex-girlfriend, negatively affects his future life and point him towards crime and distrust in people around him.

In the profile article “Jimmy Santiago Baca: Poetry as Lifesaver” author Rob Baker, who also is a creative writing and English teacher proves to not only the readers but also the National Council of Teachers of English the significance of poetry. The authors main point is that poetry saved Jimmy Santiago Baca’s life, he shows us how by explaining the emotions when Baca began to read poetry; he then went on to write poetry and even publish his own works while still in prison, after Baca’s release, he became a dedicated teacher who also works with gang members and teaches workshops.

Piper Kerman offers to her readers an interesting story about life in prison in her book Orange is the New Black. One might be confused with such statement, as there is not much exciting happens in prison and to write an interesting book based on one year of confinement seems to be an impossible task. However, Kerman’s work appeals to much deeper topics than just a physical process of imprisonment or everyday routine of convicts. Being a memoir, Orange is the New Black provides personal insights of the author concerning the prison system in the United States, freedom, and experiences of women who happened to be behind the bars. Kerman seeks to encourage people to think about the necessity of criminal justice reform, particularly in respect

While this story readily receives chuckles each time I share it, the underlying cause of this effect was absolutely unfunny. Sadly, these men had more often been exposed to swear words then they had reading and writing. As I got to know my students better, I found nearly all had grown up in poverty; they dropped out of school; grew up without a nuclear family; frequently had serious problems with alcohol and or drugs that started in adolescence and; they suffered from mental illness. I came to the conclusion that as a society we had failed them miserably as children. At age 5, these men would be worthy of sympathy, yet as soon as they committed a crime, regardless of age, much of the world viewed them with derision. Their plight stoked my passion for marginalized populations. It was within the walls of this correctional facility that I came to more completely understand mental illness and substance abuse as chronic conditions which need to be treated throughout the lifespan.

With incarcerations on the rise, the inmate population across the nation is becoming a serious topic of debate in today’s society regarding both political and economic issues. With most prisons working at thirty-nine per cent over capacity, it is becoming not only a hazard for the guards and inmates, but for the reputation of the justice system itself (Bewig). Many see prison incarceration as a way of radically reforming the criminal into a “normal” citizen. Prison is often thought of as a reformatory, a place where those who have wronged society learn the errors of their way, and later rejoin society to become better citizens. While it is a utopic vision, and there are countless examples of prisoners turning their lives around (Bunch). Others feel that the purpose of prison is to ensure the security of the public as well as to penalize lawlessness in a manner that focuses on punishment fitting of the crime. In 1984 Congress changed the ruling that imprisonment could be used on a “faith in rehabilitation” because of a concern that “rehabilitation … had failed.” Some lower courts have interpreted the ruling in different ways, but the overall justification behind this ruling is to implement the guideline that a federal judge cannot consider rehabilitation in determining whether to incarcerate an offender, or how severe the sentencing should be. It is important to keep in mind that this does not indicate that rehabilitation isn’t impossible; hope should always be expressed that

The topic I chose to discuss for this assignment is mental health problems in the prison system. With the increase of imprisonments in the U.S., the amount of incarcerated persons suffering from a mental illness has surged as well. For instance, according to a 2006 study done by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics, "More than half of all prison and jail inmates, including 56 percent of state prisoners, 45 percent of federal prisoners and 64 percent of local jail inmates, were found to have a mental health problem". However, this trend is a disturbing one on account that our prisons and jails have unfortunately developed into a primary form of “psychiatric care” for those afflicted with a mental illness. Which is certainly a component our prison facilities aren’t necessarily qualified to handle.

Sometimes, the result of a negative action will be spending the rest of life in prison. Limits will exist, and freedom will disappear. The average 6x9 feet cell will be one’s living quarters for months, years, or possibly even life. No choices will be made, but everything will instead be forced upon oneself. Appetites will quickly change because of the repetitious peanut butter and jelly sand which, which is served as lunch for three months straight. Solitary confinement drives prisoners beyond insane, and a normal life after torture seems anything but possible. A prison gang is the new normal, and aspects like racism, illness, and overcrowding are extremely prevalent1. These are just a few of the difficulties a prisoner endures during his

I retreat into myself in an attempt to block out the cruel sounds of the prison morning. The faint barking of rabid guard dogs seem to echo through the complex, ricocheting off of any surface like the lost souls of convicts. And here I lie amongst them. The dogs aren’t the only things that bark around here: the vicious snaps of the heartless wardens strike fear through the best of us. Occasional gang taunts reverberate down the vast lonely halls. But these ones that are all talk, they’re easy. Not a problem. When blood is spilled, it happens from out of nowhere. Always for a reason.

Working with the prisoners, it is clearly truly uplifting for everyone to hear general comments regarding overcoming their personal struggles. It is a great outcome for them to experience opportunities and to work for a second chance at everyday life. My eyes have opened to how important expressing your feelings can be through art. Prisoners come to rely on art to help maintain a peaceful mind and to forget the negatives in life, allowing others to see things through their eyes. Prison Life and Human Worth by Paul W. Keve (1974:15) states “To the person who never has served time it is hard to realise just how much of a daily humiliating ‘Put-down’ Prison life can be even in a well-run institution”. Keve (1974) eloquently describes the bitterly

From between the bars over the window I glared at the back of the guard’s head before the first door shut. Then came the slam and clicking of the second and third doors- and the sound of his shoes tapping the ground faded as I was left in solitary confinement. The cold air blowing in bit my face and arms; I shivered. There’s nothing I hate more than feeling weak- I wish I’d have remembered that before kicking my inmate in the face. It was pretty funny, though…

Each individual’s environment impacts them in some way or another. It is the manner in which someone handles their given situation that determines the outcome. People who are born into deprived environments, or end up in one, have two options. They can either allow themselves to be controlled by it, or they can be the ones who exert the control. There are many examples of incarcerated people attempting to take control over their environment. Seemingly small gestures and acts can be someone’s only way of showing they too get a say in their surroundings. In the poems, “I breathe the wintry morning breeze,” from Incarceration Nation, and “Over Two Years Ago,” in Disguised as a Poem, the authors find ways to cope with their incarcerated environment by exerting control over it. Some may not view poetry as a viable way to control one’s environment, however to these prisoners it was their only feeling of escape.

“This should be fun,” said Anderson Duvall as he drove his 1998 Ford F150 up the snowy mountain road. A desolate, mountain range in Northern California, this was not how he wanted to be spending his winter. “It’s only for two months,” he tells himself as he sees the massive brick prison. It is actually very beautiful, not like a prison in any way. He feels as if it wanted to suck the soul out of him without remorse. What he had done wasn’t that bad… was it?

“America the land of the free and the home of the imprisoned” According to the International Centre for prison studies “The United States imprison more citizens than any other nation. Of the 10.2 million incarcerated felons around the world 1/5 of them are U.S citizens imprisoned by U.S officials. There are 30 people in the class today if you do the math a little less than ¼ of the class will know or knows someone who has been to prison. I have not hugged or seen my sister in months; she is currently facing her 1st year of a 3 year sentence. The stereotypes people place upon her absurd. Popular shows like Orange is the new black and Prison Break give a false perception of what actual prison life encompasses. I will describe three daily encounters of an incarnated felon’s life which includes constant dangers, phone calls home, and recreational hours.