I visited my state's well-known, very visible prison: The St. Cloud Penitentiary in Minnesota.
This was about 10 days ago, and the experience was so thought-provoking, I set up my camera the following day and recorded the observations and considerations I took away.
On the surface, I saw how prison was worse in ways I overlooked and yet also more casual in ways unexpected.
Looking closer at specific aspects of prison life, these kinds of contradictory truths continued when being struck by experiences such as these:
-Visiting a cell block - The way our tour guide (a correction officer) spoke of the inmates with them right behind him in their cells, it felt like a zoo.
-Would inmates want to interact with visitors? - Some did, and one was introduced to us for being an inmate mentor, a new program for prisoners helping each other acclimate, settle differences, and prepare for a life back outside.
-The psychology of being acclimated and the spirituality of mentorship - Hearing this mentor speak to our small group with such pride for his service to others
-Feeling affection for men who've done awful things - Seeing and feeling affection for this mentor (not to mention some empathy for the others in their cells), we were then told by another guard about his lengthy sentence. Guards casually talk to inmates all the time—while also constantly having to resist too much relaxation because their job is to keep (often violent) people under strict order.
-The incarcerated vs. the free - These men had to stay (and for a long time). I and all other visitors (workers, volunteers, tourists) get to leave and do all the things these guys dream about.
Leaving the prison was the final impact from the visit. I realized I could go to any restaurant I wanted, call whoever I wanted, go to whatever store I wanted. I could even go nuts and buy a plane ticket on a whim and travel to some place.
Suddenly, the world was so vast, full of options, and accessible.
I respect the role of prisons to keep society safe, and I empathize with people upset when a violent person is released early only to harm more people. But taking a big step back, while we might be accustomed to prisons, it's easy to forget how radical they are for dealing with the darker side of humanity and human nature.
I share about these and other aspects of prison life that came up on this tour for this new video I published this evening.
Watch here:
Hope you can watch and that you get something from my experience and these topics I introduce. Please share/comment if you are so motivated. Whether on YouTube or here on Hive, I'd love to know your thoughts.
Hope you're enjoying your freedom.
-Brandon