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What Won't the Media Print?
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August 5, 2005 - On July 15, 2005, two correctional officers were stabbed at Salinas Valley State Prison. [LINK] Because of this incident, the institution was put on lock down while investigations occurred and administration attempted to assess the situation.
I was reading an article on AlterNet.org the other day about the impact that this stabbing has had on the institution. Of course, this being AlterNet I expected the typical media POV on the subject (pro-inmate, anti-officer), but never did I expect to read the opening Editor's Note attached:
When two guards were stabbed in July at the Salinas Valley State Prison, the facility went on "lockdown" -- an increasingly common occurrence in California's state prisons, and one with grave effects on inmates' mental and physical health.
www.alternet.org/rights/23863/
I began reading about the stabbing, the lockdown and got to the phrase "an increasingly common occurrence in California's state prisons." I paused for a moment, thinking to myself that it was amazing that this particular media source was recognizing that stabbings are becoming such a common occurrence in California's state prisons.
I have to admit I was a little shocked, but impressed. This was not typical of the recognition CDC officers get from the media. But then I re-read the sentence again in its entirety. I realized what they were saying. They weren't saying that the stabbings were becoming a common occurrence - but were focusing instead on the lockdown and oh what a shame it was, how it affected inmates' "mental and physical health" - nothing about what the stabbings themselves do to the officers and the institution mentality as a whole.
The letter that was to follow the Editor's Note was written by a 63-year old inmate at Salinas Valley about four days after the incident while lock down was still imposed. A long oration about lack of physical exercise, mental stimulation, lack of human contact and communication followed by an even longer rant about prison healthcare, reform and other complaints. The title of this essay - "Locked Down and Forgotten." With quotes like this one throughout the letter, "No matter, the worst they can do to me is kill me. Looking around, that would not be such a horrible thing," no wonder the public has such a low opinion of correctional officers.
Do we as a society expect inmates to be happy with their surroundings, be comfortable in their situations and not complain about every detail when given a chance? It's prison people - and while no one I know advocates cruel and unusual punishment and most correctional officers agree that the administration needs a major overhaul for the benefit of safety to both inmates and officers - there's no way that even a perfect situation would yield a so-called "happy inmate."
Letters from inmates whining about four days' worth of lock down. What won't the media print?
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