Sometime between 1905 and 1915, someone made this postcard (which, was irony a thing at the turn of the century?) and it's sort of what you expect of old school prisoners, with the stripes and the dirty faces and the working on the railroad. It's all very mythic.
So now, North Carolina puts their prisoners in this outfit:
It's kind of an exercise in humiliation. It's comical in a way that seems inappropriate for hearings and court appearances, and it's . . . clownish. The black and white stripes are one thing, but this is a creamsicle. I object.
7 comments:
You're seriously worried about how prisoners are dressed? There are a lot of reasons for how prisoners are dressed...they need to be obvious should they get free, they need to be obvious in a crowd at all, the clothes need to be cheap and durable, etc.
Humiliation? Even if that was an intended effect (sheriff's are given a bit too much latitude in some things, I admit...see that story about the budget Alabama sheriff's have to feed their inmates and the fact that whatever they don't spend they get to PERSONALLY keep for one of many examples that could use cleaning up), are you seriously concerned that inmates are slightly humiliated by what they are made to wear while in jail? It would be one thing if there were inequities within the prison, but failing that, I don't care one bit what they wear. It could be all pink with hello kitty emblems on it for all I care. And on top of that, I think every prisoner ought to have to work at least enough to pay for their own food and clothing while in prison. Might teach them something. In most prisons work programs are optional and you end up with money to spend on optional things.
*sigh*
Worried is overstating it. More I just think they look ridiculous. I'm not opposed to a distinguishing outfit, just something less comical.
Clearly I've hit a nerve with prison reform with you :)
Apparently. :)
I guess I don't so much see the comical part. It's a dude in bad stripes. *shrug*
Many years ago, I used to work at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, the county hospital for the San Jose area. I often treated the incarerated. Interestingly, in California, they are color-coded (at least for adventures outside the prison). Red jumpsuits were the most dangerous criminals (murderers, rapists, etc.) The next level was orange, etc.
I also saw juveniles, they came in their own clothes, but with shackels. They also came with a "counselor" who never wanted to stay in the room (afraid of the sight of blood) and often agreed to take the shackels off! That's when I objected, as I was a 30 year old pregnant woman NOT trained in the skills needed for prisoner retention. Go figure.
See, I feel like that's what I grew up used to - I vaguely remember seeing different colors, but solid colors.
I am dying over you being in charge of juvenile criminals! Don't get Donnie started on reforming that prison system, either :)
Oh, that's not even the funniest part. Imagine this, I'm 8+ months pregnant, (huge) and in the OR waiting to do a case. An OR tech comes up to me and asks me to escort a female prisoner (awaiting surgery) to the bathroom. I'm supposed to make sure she doesn't escape. HA! I was seriously wondering...wasn't there someone more qualified than I to do this job? "Just yell out if she tries to climb out the window" the guy tells me.
So, being the polite, helpful person I am, I do this. Then, the patient asks me "do I need to give a sample?", forcing me to leave the BR and ask. I was thinking, of course, that she was gonna make a break for it (but she didn't).
For the record, she was wearing a hospital gown, no stripes :)
Don't worry, I don't even want to go into prison reform with Donnie. Leave that to when he's elected president. I definitely think you should be C of S. I will be Surgeon General.
I thought the jumpsuits were meant to humiliate the prisoners, as part of their punishment. I object not to the embarrassment of prisoners, but to the colors of the creamsicle being defamed.
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