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Pennsylvania is hiring 18-year-olds as prison guards. The women living there are sounding the alarm.

"Several months ago, a group of women gathered in the common room of our maximum security prison. They were loud and rowdy. A young officer trainee instructed the women to quiet down, according to women who witnessed the incident. But the women responded with derisive laughter and snide remarks. In response, the trainee lost his temper and yelled: “This is my common room: I own these tables, I own these chairs, and I own all of you!”

Some women who observed the incident said a more senior officer who was present did not intervene. 

The explosive scene was indicative of a larger shift underway at the State Correctional Institution at Muncy, in Pennsylvania. 

In an effort to fill staff vacancies, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections has joined other state systems in recruiting younger officers. But the influx of young hires — some as young as 18 — has led to some growing pains for both officers and incarcerated women at SCI Muncy."

Continue reading Jamie's story.

One morning last summer, I went to wash up in the dorm’s community sink area shared by close to 130 men.

As I started to brush my teeth, I noticed a new mirror above one of the eight sinks. Unlike the other seven rusted, metal reflectors in the room, this mirror was made of glass. And instead of producing a carnival funhouse reflection of me, this proper mirror produced a clear image of myself gazing back with surprise.

I had no idea where this mirror had come from or who had brought it into the sink area. I thought: How long will it be before this magnificent looking glass gets shattered, or just unmounted and carried away?

I also wondered how long it had been since I saw myself undistorted. I knew it must have been decades ago, before I came to prison. I’m currently at William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility, and every jail or prison I’ve been to in Alabama has used the same cloudy mirrors. 

I leaned closer to get a better look at myself. The mirror — about the size of a large cookie sheet — revealed lines etched deep into my face from 26 years of serving hard time for a murder charge. The younger guys here like to harmlessly joke about my gray beard. I always shoot back that it’s “platinum,” which amuses them. But this was the first time I saw what they saw. In the clear mirror, I liked my platinum mustache and beard.

Continue reading.