Final Semester Project:Incarceration&Art

Juelle Jackson
Final Semester Project
Incarceration&Art: Art Behind Prison Bars
12/04/2018

          America has always been known to and referred to as "land of the free and home of the brave." In my personal opinion, America is bigheaded and sells false ideas and dreams. How can you say a country that enslaves people, kills them and denies them basic human rights, specifically people of color, is home of the free? Of all the things that America has done to its people, slavery had to be the worst and most brutal offense. Slavery has left a lasting and painful mark on those who suffered at the hands of it, those people being, African Americans. Today, many people believe that slavery is over and that is what America wants people to believe. What if its not? What if it is just re-casted or disguised in a new system? I believe that slavery never ended because black people, more than any other race, occupy prisons. Why is that? Well, its simple. There is still discrimination and disregard for human life. When people go to prison they become criminals, and they are give bad connotations. Like slavery, they are denied all of their human and constitutional rights. They are denied the right to vote, they are denied education, employment, and many other rights. When people go to prison, they become invisible to the world and forgotten about. The prison population are one of the most underrepresented populations in America. During slavery, African Americans were discriminated, oppressed, beaten, and treated inhumane. They were seen as unimportant and non-existent. Criminals in prison today are sent away, put behind bars, and the key is thrown away. Michelle Alexander, the author of "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color Blindness" says, "Now we use our criminal justice system to label people of color "criminals" and then engage in all the practices we supposedly left behind. Today it is perfectly legal to discriminate against criminals in nearly all the ways that it was once legal to discriminate against African Americans. Once you’re labeled a felon, the old forms of discrimination—employment discrimination, housing discrimination, denial of the right to vote, denial of educational opportunity, denial of food stamps and other public benefits, and exclusion from jury service—are suddenly legal. As a criminal, you have scarcely more rights, and arguably less respect, than a black man living in Alabama at the height of Jim Crow. We have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it." Alexander is saying that slavery has not ended, but has just been disguised in a new way. I believe that as people we need to care more about human life. Most people who occupy prisons aren't bad people, but they are made out to be. This is because anyone or anything associated with prison is negative, which means the people who go to prison are viewed in a negative light. However, these are human beings who the world has given up on. They are not invisible. They are people, and I would like for the world to see that.

In the photo below, there is commentary on lack of constitutional rights for people in prison. On the left, the officer is wondering how people are finding out about what goes on behind the criminal justice system and in prisons, and on the right, the inmate is wondering what happened to his constitutional rights. It is a deep photo that allows people to see how inmates are treated, and how the things that they are forced to go through, are covered up. 

               These very important issues of mass incarceration, slavery, oppression, and denial of human rights are important for my final project because I am bringing to the light what people in prisons are still facing today. However, I am doing it in a way that changes how people view those who are incarcerated. I am letting people see what goes on in the prisons through inmate art and poetry. This is near and dear to me because it hits home, as my father is incarcerated. I believe that this is the reason why I really wanted to explore this particular issue and topic. It affects more people than the world knows, and some people directly. When you have a loved one who is impacted by this very real issue, it matters more and means more. You really want the world to see them for who they are, and not what the did or what they are associated with.      

            Another issue that I think people do not like to address is the world that is set up for black people to fail. The world likes to condemn black people and say that they are the reason that they ended up in prison. While that holds truth, we must address the source. Why are so many black people going to prison? Could it be the system that was put in place for them to fail? In an article, a famous rapper named Meek Mill says that, "he and many other formerly incarcerated people are "trapped inside of a system that's extremely hard for us to get out of." He goes on to say that, "there are things in the system that don't make sense." He says that, "the system targets marginalized people. It keeps young black men caught up in the system without even committing crimes." He is saying that the system is designed for people of color to fail. How can black people escape a system whose goal is to keep them trapped? Black people will not and cannot get ahead when the criminal justice system is preying on them. In the photo below, it talks about being surrounded by poverty and oppression, and when you are surrounded by these things, it comes down to survival. Many people who are in prison are people of color, who landed themselves in prison, due to the world that surrounded them. I believe that when we look at these different issues and obvious truths, the world can look at things with a different perspective. Many people who are in prison are not horrible people. They just made something of what they were given, and who else is to blame when they are behind prison bars? Why should they become less than human and deemed insignificant because they dealt the hand they were given? I believe that the world has never considered these issues, and when they do, we can spark a conversation and take action. I just want the world to see people and not just another criminal. I want the world to see a person, and not just a prisoner who becomes invisible to the world once they are put behind bars. 

               For my final project, I created an Instagram page that spreads inmate art, poetry, and stories. The main component that I went with is poetry because you get to witness these people's thought in a poetic way. I feel that poetry can change the way you view a person. Poetry is expressive, and these people are expressing what they feel and how they go through life everyday being trapped. In prison, they are told where to walk, where to stand, when to sit, what to eat, what to say, what not to say, or when to speak. They become controlled by the system. They are no longer able to fight for their rights because in America, when you become a criminal, you are denied those rights. However, the system cannot take away their gifts and talents. The system cannot take away their imagination, their craft, and their creation. I will not allow it. In the poetry that is featured on the Instagram page, in many of the pieces, there are themes of love, regret, oppression, freedom, fear, joy, happiness, loneliness and more. There are different artists featured who are sending a message to a loved one, shining light on what they experience in prison, what they think of the criminal justice system, what and how they think of America, they talk about their kids, they talk about their regrets, and they talk about how they are more than just a face with a number. They are somebody. They cannot be forgotten anymore because there is someone like me who is willing to tell their stories, and convince the world to change their perspectives. In an article by MichiganDaily, it says, "Ultimately, though, these actions were likely propagated by the belief that criminals are bad people, not people having done badly in a difficult situation. Maybe if we change how we see them, not as callous, manipulative or insane individuals, but rather as humans who falter and make mistakes based on their lives’ contexts, we will avoid unfairly harsh penalties." I believe that art is a beautiful and informative way to help people change their perspectives, while allowing them to see the talents that the people who they view as bad and horrible, possess. 
     

https://www.instagram.com/artbehindprisonbars/?hl=en

       I think that with this Instagram page, I can reach so many people. The world needs to know about the people who they do not think about, and that is the prison population. They are underrepresented and treated as if there lives do not matter. The truth is their lives matter just as much as everyone else on the outside of prison walls. This page is showing just how much they matter and how important their voices are. When I started the page, I did not know how people would react to it. A lot of people have very negative views when it comes to prisoners. I knew that when I decided to make this my project, and my focus. However, I cannot let that stop me from getting out the message, which is that those who are incarcerated are people as well. They matter and they are important. They are not bad or horrible people. However, they are misunderstood and forgotten about. With this page, I want the world to know of the talent and gifts that lurk behind prison walls. I want the world to change their perspective and look at things with a more broad horizon. The way the page works is every day I post a poem that speaks to a specific theme. There is no specific theme. It may just be whatever poem I choose to post that day. Also, I make it known that people can direct message me or comment if they would like to see more work or pieces from a specific artist. Also, I allow people to share testimonies, stories, and thoughts about someone who they know that may be in prison, or was in prison. Also, I will willingly share any work that relates to the overall goal of the page, which is to showcase talent in the underrepresented population, spark a conversation, highlight important issues, and to see people for who and what they possess on the inside and to not condemn for the mistakes that they made. Also, I want to shed light on a system that still seeks to destroy people of color. With this page. I have gotten some positive feedback and I cannot wait to hear from more people.







Works Cited


Columnist, Sam Corey. “Sam Corey: Changing Our Perception of Criminals.” The Michigan Daily, www.michigandaily.com/section/columns/sam-corey-changing-our-perception-criminals.




Horn, Allyson. “Prison Art Turning around the Lives of 'Lifers' behind Bars.” ABC News, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2 Sept. 2017, www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-03/prison-art-turning-around-lives-of-lifers-behind-bars/8854990.


Lerman, Rob, and Mark Engler. “Mass Incarceration & the New Jim Crow.” Nelson Mandela & the Fight Against Apartheid | Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility, www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/mass-incarceration-new-jim-crow.




Lopez, and Javier Zarracina. “Study: Black People Are 7 Times More Likely than White People to Be Wrongly Convicted of Murder.” Vox.com, Vox Media, 7 Mar. 2017, www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/3/7/14834454/exoneration-innocence-prison-racism.




Mosteller, Jeremiah. “Why Prison Reform Matters in America.” Charles Koch Institute, www.charleskochinstitute.org/issue-areas/criminal-justice-policing-reform/why-prison-reform-matters/.


Weisbrod, Eric. “Meek Mill on Prison Reform: 'We Are Trapped inside of a System'.” CNN, Cable News Network, 1 Dec. 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/12/01/us/meek-mill-smerconish-cnntv/index.html.