Behind a Convict's Eyes Opinion Paper
BEHIND A CONVICT’S EYES (OPINION SUMMARY)
In my experience of reading the text, Behind a Convicts Eyes, I have learned many things about prison life. It has in fact changed my perception of what I thought prison life was like. Prison is in fact a fight for survival, and the weaker inmates will be used and abused by the stronger population. To clarify what I mean, many of the weaker prisoners are sometimes expected to pay for protection from other inmates, or they join prison gangs to be safe. According to the text, it would appear that the inmates actually have more control over their existence than I would have thought that they do. When I use this term, I mean it in the sense that the inmates use the system to their advantage, or at least those who know how to work the system. According to the text Behind the Convicts Eyes, p. 20, it describes the process in which inmates will actually manipulate the tests and clinical physicians to obtain medication in which they can then use to get “high” or sell for profit.
Another factor that changed my perspective on how inmates live within prison was the economy which surrounds their survival. This is focused primarily on “food, water, cigarettes and survival, also known as the basics of life.” (Behind a Convict’s Eyes, p.22) The primary focus of inmates is based upon the inmate economy. Some of these issues include things such as being on a set budget. The text spoke of living on a set amount of $130.00 per month on average. This amount of money would be considered far below the poverty level in society but with the consideration that the inmates do not pay for housing or other expenses that people in the free society do, it would seem like it would be enough. For those who do have a limited amount of money, they use the bartering system. (Behind a Convicts Eyes, p. 73). Bartering can be used to obtain almost anything that that you need during your stay in prison. Some of the things that were traded were leather belts
In my experience of reading the text, Behind a Convicts Eyes, I have learned many things about prison life. It has in fact changed my perception of what I thought prison life was like. Prison is in fact a fight for survival, and the weaker inmates will be used and abused by the stronger population. To clarify what I mean, many of the weaker prisoners are sometimes expected to pay for protection from other inmates, or they join prison gangs to be safe. According to the text, it would appear that the inmates actually have more control over their existence than I would have thought that they do. When I use this term, I mean it in the sense that the inmates use the system to their advantage, or at least those who know how to work the system. According to the text Behind the Convicts Eyes, p. 20, it describes the process in which inmates will actually manipulate the tests and clinical physicians to obtain medication in which they can then use to get “high” or sell for profit.
Another factor that changed my perspective on how inmates live within prison was the economy which surrounds their survival. This is focused primarily on “food, water, cigarettes and survival, also known as the basics of life.” (Behind a Convict’s Eyes, p.22) The primary focus of inmates is based upon the inmate economy. Some of these issues include things such as being on a set budget. The text spoke of living on a set amount of $130.00 per month on average. This amount of money would be considered far below the poverty level in society but with the consideration that the inmates do not pay for housing or other expenses that people in the free society do, it would seem like it would be enough. For those who do have a limited amount of money, they use the bartering system. (Behind a Convicts Eyes, p. 73). Bartering can be used to obtain almost anything that that you need during your stay in prison. Some of the things that were traded were leather belts