I, by the way, cribbed that title from French philosopher Jean Baudrillard. I used to teach that idea as a kind of fascinating thought experiment, but emerging from prison into
Category: The Prison Limericks
Rhyming insights into life behind bars
A Primer for Prison (abridged)A Primer for Prison (abridged)
Back when I was a respectable human being, each day on my way to the office I would walk past a display case in which creative young men and women
Conspiratorial IronyConspiratorial Irony
I’m not certain whether the craze of conspiracy theories that seems to be sweeping America got its start outside the prison system and moved into it, or whether it was
With Great Power Comes…With Great Power Comes…
I don’t know why I was recalling this limerick the other day, save for the fact that it came to my attention that some classes of offenders are asked rather
Speaking of Claude Rains…Speaking of Claude Rains…
Going right along with the Minnesota CO harassing BLM protesters, the sheriff’s office serving dealy search warrants in NC, Derek Chauvin, and countless other incidents, we are also being treated
As I was saying…As I was saying…
In my previous post about correctional staff being particularly susceptible to racism, misogyny, and homophobia, I should have also clarified that the incarcerated not only face retaliation, but also just
The Secret Gub-mint and MeThe Secret Gub-mint and Me
Recently I have been discussing the prevalence of conspiracy theories with some friends. These are friends who have always and forever been on the outside of the razor wire, and
It’s Simpler to StereotypeIt’s Simpler to Stereotype
As I move through the various stages of the American legal system — arrest, indictment, conviction, incarceration, halfway house, and probation — it becomes clearer to me that one actually
I’m sorry, old bean. I don’t comprehend.I’m sorry, old bean. I don’t comprehend.
This whole business in the Derrick Chauvin trial about whether George Floyd said, while his life was being squeezed out of him, “I ate too many drugs” or “I ain’t
Clean up your room!Clean up your room!
Among the more absurd rituals of prison life it the way that staff and administrators react toward inspectors coming to the prison. It serves as an occasion to berate inmates