[As sensational shows like ‘60 Days In‘ return this fall, so
does one of television’s favorite tropes: the scary, evil-doing
prisoner. howcasing the most unstable of the incarcerated population
spreads the false narrative that everyone in prison is a lost cause.]
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INCARCERATION ON TV IS NOTHING LIKE THE PRISON WHERE I LIVE  
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Christopher Blackwell
September 9, 2022
The Progressive
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_ As sensational shows like ‘60 Days In‘ return this fall, so
does one of television’s favorite tropes: the scary, evil-doing
prisoner. howcasing the most unstable of the incarcerated population
spreads the false narrative that everyone in prison is a lost cause. _


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With the return this month of A&E TV’s _60 Days In_
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the ludicrous depictions I’ve seen on TV of what incarceration is
supposed to look like; in particular, how it bears little resemblance
to the life I’ve lived inside for the last nineteen years.

_Lockup_, a show that ran for sixteen years on MSNBC claimed to give
viewers a glimpse at life inside of prisons and jails, but it
invariably featured the worst-of-the-worst characters—people clearly
meant to inspire fear and horror. 

Once, I saw two individuals on _Lockup_
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whites of their eyes were completely filled with ink, one red, the
other blue. They looked like demons out of a horror movie. I’d never
seen this before and couldn’t comprehend how someone could do
something so stupid. Who risks their sight to have their eyes filled
with colored ink? The two prisoners on TV were laughing and joking as
they talked about getting in trouble for tattooing and other
violations of prison rules. I became annoyed. Why are these the kinds
of people the media uses to depict the over two million
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people across America?

I’ve long despised shows like this for their inaccurate portrayal of
people who are incarcerated. Nevertheless, I watch them occasionally
to see what foolish characters they choose to parade across the screen
to represent the community in which I’ve lived for decades.

Now forty-one years old, I was first introduced to the carceral system
at the age of twelve. I’ve spent time in some of the worst prisons
across the state and have yet to meet the type of prisoners who make
up the cast of shows like _Lockup_.

I’ve thought a lot about why the media highlights these characters
as representative of the incarcerated population. Is it to maximize
drama by seeking out the most outrageous behavior and putting it on
display for society’s entertainment? Or is it a fear-mongering
tactic to convince society that everyone behind prison walls is
deranged, and that people in the free world are safer if we’re kept
behind the razor wire that surrounds us? I often think it’s the
latter. 

Prison can be tough, even violent at times, but the majority of
prisoners are not running around like chickens with their heads cut
off, willing to do anything for attention. They are working toward
bettering themselves, not tattooing their eyeballs. I work with men
everyday who want a better life and strive to find an opportunity to
escape the oppressive and abusive environments they’ve spent their
life struggling to survive.  

Showcasing the most unstable of the incarcerated population spreads
the false narrative that everyone in prison is a lost cause. It allows
those on the outside to become detached from the harm caused by
incarcerating so many of their fellow citizens. 

Although _Lockup_ is no longer on the air, its long run caused
irreversible harm by convincing viewers that their safety depends on
mass incarceration. Plenty of other “true crime” and
true-crime-inspired shows, including _COPS_, _Snapped_, _Law and
Order_, and _CSI_ continue to perpetuate the same false narrative
that we need prisons to keep communities safe. But the reality is, we
don’t.

Instead of imprisoning those we are afraid of, we need to invest in
impoverished communities and offer people opportunities for
success.Yes, those of us who cause harm need to be accountable for our
actions, but painting us as monsters only works against what’s most
important: a safer society for all. 

_Christopher Blackwell, forty, is serving a forty-five-year prison
sentence in Washington State. He co-founded Look 2 Justice, an
organization that provides civic education to system-impacted
communities._

_Since 1909, The Progressive has aimed to amplify voices of dissent
and those under-represented in the mainstream, with a goal of
championing grassroots progressive politics. Our bedrock values are
nonviolence and freedom of speech._

_Based in Madison, Wisconsin, we publish on national politics,
culture, and events including U.S. foreign policy; we also focus on
issues of particular importance to the heartland. Two flagship
projects of The Progressive include Public School Shakedown
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to resist the privatization of public education, and The Progressive
Media Project [[link removed]], aiming to diversify our
nation’s op-ed pages. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. _

_We publish multiple stories every day on our website, and also
produce a bimonthly magazine featuring investigative reporting,
cultural and political analysis, and poetry._

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* Prisoners
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* television
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* media
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